Kevin Sobnosky, who was a member of the soccer team at Girard High School and Youngstown State University, was killed in a shootout in Columbus on Oct. 30, 2022 at the age of 21. The triggerman, Keimariyon Ross, was convicted on nine counts Monday, including two counts of murder. He will be sentenced Sept. 5.

WARREN — Reflecting on an early October morning that changed their lives forever, the parents of Kevin Sobnosky and a close friend shared their emotional journey after a jury on Monday found 20-year-old Keimariyon Ross guilty of Sobnosky’s murder.

Sobnosky, a 2019 Girard High School graduate and class valedictorian, and a senior at Youngstown State University, was fatally shot in 2022 after attending a Halloween party on The Ohio State University campus in Columbus.

The group returned to its hotel before deciding to get a late-night meal at a Waffle House. Devin Milentjevic, Sobnosky’s friend since fifth grade, said the group first went to a location downtown, but a long line sent them to a second Waffle House on North Cassady Avenue. After finding that location took only carry-out orders, the group decided to stop at a nearby Sheetz gas station to fuel up before making the drive back to Youngstown.

“We drove up there and by the last pump is where we started hearing the pops, which I said sounded like drums,” Milentjevic said.

Once the realization settled in that gunfire was ringing out, Milentjevic said he remembers getting down before he recalled Sobnosky telling him to drive.

“I started driving as fast as I could and turned left to go toward the back of the hotel and that’s when the guy opened fire on our car,” he said.

The sound of bullets hitting the vehicle took a terrifying turn when Milentjevic realized Sobnosky had been struck in the head. He said a mixture of panic and the need to focus on getting the group to the hospital without getting anybody else hurt weighed on his mind.

The Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said the shooting the group was caught up in involved a dispute between two groups of people unrelated to Sobnosky and his friends that turned into a shootout.

One of those suspects, Tyyan Sullivan, 19, was arrested for his role in the shooting because he fired on Ross, and he pleaded guilty in August to two of the eight charges he faced. He will serve a 9- to 10.5-year prison sentence for two counts of felonious assault and a gun specification.

Ross testified that he believed the vehicle carrying Sobnosky and his friends was one of the vehicles firing at him. A six-day trial concluded with a jury — after deliberating just 37 minutes — convicting Ross on multiple charges, including two counts of murder. His sentencing is set Sept. 5.

Milentjevic said he and his family watched from his home as the verdict was read aloud.

“I was walking out of my stepsister’s house, and they said the first count of murder guilty and I did a little fist pump. I was excited about that one because that was the big one,” said Milentjevic, who was called to testify during the trial.

He said the verdict brings some form of closure for everyone.

“I don’t know if it’s true closure because you can’t really bring Kevin back. He did it and he’s going away, but Kevin is still not here, so you just have to live with that,” he said.

KEVIN’S PARENTS

Coping with their son’s loss has been an arduous journey for Laura and Damien Sobnosky.

“Well, some days are hard, and some days we’re able to just move along,” Laura said. “Sometimes little things come up that make it a difficult day where there’s different emotions we go through, but there’s always a piece of us missing him.”

Damien added, “We try to be strong for one another and our daughter. Kevin’s aunts and uncles all really miss him. There’s a lot of people affected by this — his friends, those boys in the vehicle, are going through a lot with this — but it does give us some sense of relief that he (Ross) is going to stay off the streets for a while.”

Laura said there’s no making sense of what happened.

“When they walked in and saw him (Sullivan) there, they knew it was him. To me, if I walked into a place and saw a man with a gun, and I knew that we didn’t directly get along, why didn’t they just all turn around and leave?” she said. “You wonder, what was their reasoning for staying there and letting all that go down? What would have happened if they’d just all left?”

Those questions might never be answered, but Damien expressed the harsh reality they face.

“We just have to live the rest of our lives with it, and we mourn the loss of Kevin’s life because he had so much potential and he was a nice guy. We really miss him,” he said.

Both parents expressed gratitude for the work of the prosecutor’s office and Columbus police in securing justice for their son. They also credited the support of Rev. Jordan Kelly, the former pastor of St. Rose Catholic Church, which hosted a vigil for Kevin several days after the shooting.

Youngstown Bishop David Bonnar and the church community were significant sources of support for the family. Additionally, they thanked the city of Girard, noting the overwhelming support from the community, which they deeply appreciated.

To honor Kevin’s memory, they have established two scholarships. The Kevin John Sobnosky Memorial Scholarship, which is awarded to Girard High School seniors, has been given out twice. A soccer scholarship was created in memory of Kevin and his friend Adam Connelly, a Liberty High School soccer player, who died in a car crash shortly after Kevin’s murder.

Proceeds from a fundraiser during a football game between the two schools helped fund the scholarships.

“Kevin was such a smart kid. We hope that the other kids using the scholarship can do something for themselves with the money that came out of this tragedy, you know,” Laura said.

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