Reagan Asbury's sister tells of devastation over brother's death - WATCH
"Our family has been destroyed and will never overcome this"
Reagan Asbury's heartbroken sister today spoke out on the deadly consequences of carrying a blade after his killer was convicted of manslaughter.
The 19-year-old was killed by a single wound to the neck when violence flared in the crowd at a boxing event held at Walsall Town Hall last October.
Tyrone Andrew was cleared of murder but convicted today of the manslaughter after a five-week trial at Birmingham Crown Court.
He was jailed for 14 years today.
His sister Elysia said 'nothing will ever be enough' to fill the huge void Reagan's death has left in their lives.
It came as West Midlands Police released CCTV footage showing trouble in the aftermath of the boxing bout.
'The devastating consequences'
Elysia Asbury has spoken of her love and admiration for her younger sibling.
"My family and I will have to live with the devastating consequences of Tyrone Andrew’s careless and brutal actions for the rest of our lives," she said.
"Reagan isn’t coming back and that’s something we’ll never be able to get over.
“My brother was a remarkable character. You always felt his presence when he entered into a room – always laughing, joking, always had a smile on his face, and so calm.
"He was wise beyond his years.
"Even though I’m his older sister I used to go to him for advice.
"He had a positive impact on anyone he came into contact with.”
She said the impact on the whole family had been devastating.
“There’s been a void in our life that will be there for the rest of our lives," she said.
"It will always be empty. In our house, his car is still on the drive, I walk past his bedroom, his coat is hanging up in the hallway, his shoes – it just feels so fresh and that actually he’s going to come back through the door any minute – that’s how it feels."
'Attitudes must change over carrying a knife'
Elysia has urged people to stop carrying knives, adding: “It wrecks lives, it wrecks communities."
She said: “For some reason people think they need to leave the house with a knife.
"I don’t know where that comes from. I don’t know whether it’s the culture that needs to change, I don’t know whether it’s society’s attitude that needs to change, I don’t know if it’s the legal system, if it’s tougher sentences.
"I don’t know what needs to change but something needs to be done because young people are carrying knives now and people don’t seem to be listening or abiding by the law. That’s something that I will concentrate on and campaign for - to stop."
She added: "Reagan liked everyone, he did not have a bad word to say about anyone, he enjoyed being happy, he was a positive person who loved life.
"It broke our hearts when the issue of racism was brought up during the trial.
“Reagan would be upset if he heard someone being racist.
"It goes against everything Reagan and our family stands for.
"Our family chain is broken, we all have a void in our life that will always be empty, we miss him so much.
"Reagan had a positive impact on every single person he came into contact with, and will continue to do so. His legacy will live on."
Footage reveals violence leading up to fatal stabbing
Tyrone Andrew had arrived at the event with friends to support Derby-based boxer Myron Mills.
The trial heard fans began to throw tables and chairs at the end of the IBF lightweight bout involving Walsall fighter Luke Paddock on October 14 last year.
One onlooker has described the scenes as like something out of a ‘Wild West film’.
Violence spilled outside and CCTV released by West Midlands Police showed Andrew and other Derby fans standing outside the town hall before Walsall supporters clashed with the rival group.
WATCH footage released by police and Reagan's sister speaks out
The footage showed Andrew was rugby-tackled to the floor, before getting back on his feet and picking a knife up.
He was captured in the CCTV, marked up number three on the footage, ran up behind Reagan, marked 20, and lashed out to the side of the teenager’s neck.
Andrew and another man, Declan Kemp-Francis, ran along Leicester Street and on to Lichfield Street.
West Midlands Police say Andrew handed a knife to Ryandeep Sidhu, who put it into the driver’s area of his BMW.
CCTV showed Andrew return to his home topless in Derby, having been driven there by Kemp-Francis.
He had ditched his blood-stained shirt, and then got in a taxi to Birmingham Airport to board an 11.15am flight to Amsterdam the morning after.
Reagan was taken to Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital but died at 8pm the day after the boxing event.
Police enquiries, on vehicles caught on CCTV at the scene at the time, led detectives to identify Andrew.
Working with European police, detectives managed to trace him and he was arrested in Barcelona before being flown back to the UK in January.
