Grieving family and friends said goodbye to Isaiah Ward at a heavily attended funeral service Tuesday in Northwest Atlanta, less than a mile from where Atlanta police say a motorist under the influence of heroin ran his car into the 9-year-old boy, his older brother and a friend.
As they entered Lindsay Street Baptist Church, mourners filed past Ward’s open blue coffin with silver trim. He was dressed in a white suit with a blue bow tie. A black baseball bat sat tucked inside the little athlete’s coffin. A basketball and a soccer ball rested on pedestals flanking him.
Ward was walking on a sidewalk near Joseph E. Boone Boulevard and Mayson Turner Road when he was struck.
He was with his older brother, 11-year-old Roland, and a friend, 12-year-old Timothy Hood. Roland, who suffered a broken pelvis and broken leg in the incident, watched the proceedings from a wheelchair near his mother, Michelle.
“Our hearts grieve,” the Rev. Anthony Motley, the church’s pastor, said in a stirring eulogy. “Three little boys ought to be able to go to the store safely in their community and return safely.”
Ryan Lisabeth, 28, of Canton, is facing multiple charges in the incident, including vehicular homicide in the first degree, driving under the influence of heroin and possession of heroin, court records show. He was denied bond Monday.
Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution last week that his office is looking into whether Lisabeth should face a more severe charge. Meanwhile, Atlanta police have so far not released their reports detailing the incident and Lisabeth’s arrest, saying they are still working on the documents.
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