Twelve-year-old boy who died after jumping from Washington Bridge was a kind, loving ‘skater boy,’ family says

Garrett Cabeza/The Spokesman Review (TNS)

Nahziyien Gordon, also known as “Jo” to friends and family, was “the sweetest kid” who loved to skateboard, according to his family.

“Jo had the biggest heart,” said Amanda Muellner, his aunt. “He would do anything for anyone.”

Nahziyien’s life was ended Wednesday evening after the 12-year-old jumped from a pedestrian bridge in Riverfront Park and never made it to shore, the Spokane Fire Department said. A dive team recovered the unconscious boy nearly an hour after first responders were called to the orange bridge at the Rotating Fountain. He died on the spot.

Three teenagers also jumped from the bridge into the cold water that night but emerged unharmed, fire officials said.

Nahziyien’s family, friends and teachers gathered at the bridge Saturday evening to celebrate and remember the kind, loving Yasuhara Middle School student.

Muellner said Nahziyien always had a smile on his face.

“He could light up the room just by walking in with that beautiful smile and all that curly hair,” she said.

Najaie Bryant-Muellner, Nahziyien’s older cousin, said he was an intelligent child who didn’t have a “mean bone in his body.” She said all he wanted to do was skateboard and scooter, and she never saw him angry.

“Jo was always happy,” Bryant-Muellner said.

She said she has tried to keep herself together amid the grief, but it has been extremely difficult.

“I keep telling myself we’re going to wake up from this nightmare,” Bryant-Muellner said. “It was just very, very difficult.”

Nahziyien’s family organized a memorial gathering at the bridge on Saturday.

The memorial included photos of Nahziyien taped to poster boards, signs like “JUSTICE FOR JOE” and “STOP BULLYING,” loving written messages, candles with Nahziyien’s photo wrapped around them, flowers and balloons. Some loved ones wore shirts with photos of Nahziyien printed on them.

Makia Bryant-Muellner, another older cousin of the boy, said the three teenagers who jumped from the bridge unharmed were bullying him. She said Nahziyien could not swim and did not like the water.

The police are investigating the death.

“It’s just not fair that he was just taken away from us,” she said.

Makia Bryant-Muellner said she helped Nahziyien’s mother raise him. Although Makia Bryant-Muellner has a son of her own, she called Nahziyien her “firstborn” because he taught her how to be a mother before her biological son came along.

“He meant the world to me,” she said.

She said Nahziyien wanted to be everyone’s friend and always make people laugh. He also enjoyed skateboarding.

“We called him our skater boy,” she said.

Tysha McMillan said her daughter was a classmate of Nahziyien at Yasuhara, and that he stood up for her when she was being bullied.

“She was very sad to hear the news when she returned to school that Jo was not joining their shared lessons,” McMillan said.

Gregory Summers, Nahziyien’s grandfather, called the boy “a free spirit.”

Summers has a video on his phone when Nahziyien was about four years old, grooving around the yard to an AC/DC song.

Nahziyien was quiet in his younger years but began to open up, enjoy life and make new friends, Summers said.

“He came out of his shell a little bit,” he said. “He was just starting to experience life before he was taken from (us).”

Nahziyien loved his family and always had to be by his mother’s side, Summers said.

“We’re just trying to get through it and stay positive and move on, but never forget, you know,” Summers said. “So it will take a while.”

Karen Muellner, Nahziyien’s grandmother, called him “Precious.”

“It was something about him, the little smile he has and his slow walk he does sometimes,” she said of his nickname. ‘He’s something else. He is one of a kind.”

She said she is trying to stay strong for the family.

“I’m just going to miss him,” she said. “I love that boy so much.”

___

(c) 2024 The Spokesman Review (Spokane, Washington)

Visit The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Wash.) at www.spokesman.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.