KOAA News5 announced the passing of Ryan Hazelwood, who served as the station's news director from 2017 to 2024. The Colorado Springs station published a tribute describing him as a defining presence both within the newsroom and across the communities where he lived and worked.
Hazelwood entered journalism in 1997, starting out at KFDA in Amarillo, Texas. His career in television news moved through KVII and KVUE before he landed at KOAA News5. Beyond on-air roles, he spent time at a production company and taught as an instructor at West Texas A&M University, where he also worked in broadcast engineering. West Texas A&M recognized his contributions by inducting him into its Communication Hall of Fame in 2025.
Hazelwood accumulated a wide range of titles over the course of his professional life, among them photographer, professor, and news director. Colleagues remembered him as someone who invested deeply in the places he called home, held powerful institutions accountable, and gave a platform to people who rarely received one.
Hazelwood maintained strong roots in both Amarillo, Texas, and southern Colorado. Those close to him recalled a man who found purpose in guiding and teaching others — someone patient yet resolute, with a clear instinct for when to push and when to pull back. He was also remembered informally as the kind of person who would clear a neighbor's driveway, swap out a flat tire, or show someone how to handle icy roads — always without expecting anything in return.
Hazelwood is survived by his wife Larissa, his children Alexis and Gannon, his mother Kathy, his brother Caleb, and his son-in-law Dylan.
Details regarding memorial services or a formal obituary had not been made available in the information published at the time of this report.