Family mourning loss of Camden star football player killed in shooting
CAMDEN, N.J. (WPVI) -- Friends and family are mourning the loss of a Camden County teenager who was killed in a shooting inside a home last week.
Those who knew 16-year-old Xyere Brooks describe him as a standout talent on the football field who made a lasting impact on everyone who knew him.
According to the Camden County Prosecutors' Office, Brooks was shot around 12:30 p.m. Friday in an apartment on the 1500 block of Thorne Street in Camden. He was taken to Cooper University Hospital, where he died two hours later.
Investigators are working to determine who owned the gun and the circumstances leading up to the shooting.
Authorities say there were multiple juveniles inside the home when the gun went off. Family members believe this was just a tragic accident.
"She put the gun to his head, and I guess she didn't expect it to go off. To make a long story short, the gun went off on my brother, and he's no longer here with us," said the victim's brother, Manazh Tompkins.
Brooks, a sophomore at KIPP High School in Camden, had a day off from school and had spent the night at a friend's house.
"These parents that are leaving their unsupervised teenage kids at home and not knowing what they may come into their homes with, there has to be a better way, said the victim's mother, Antoinette Brooks.
She says her son was already talking with universities like Syracuse and Rutgers about playing on their football teams.
Tompkins says Brooks was an all-star both on and off the football field.
"He would have been a great addition to any team that was looking at him to take him to the next level and boost his potential as a football player," he said.
Huddled on a football field in Camden on Monday night, students, teachers and teammates gathered to remember the teen.
"There's no way he can be replaced," said head football coach James Tompkins.
Brooks helped lead KIPP to their first playoff game in school history. His head coach says he was the best running back in South Jersey in his class.
"We are going to take it one day at a time and do the best we can to honor him, support his family, support the rest of the team and honor his name the best we can," said Tompkins.
His twin sister, a cheerleader, said she was looking forward to being on the football field with him in the fall.
"I love you, Xy, so much. I wish you were still here with me," she said.
No criminal charges have been filed.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Joseph Fogg of the Camden County Prosecutor's Office Homicide Unit at (856) 225-5063 and Detective Brandon Bolger of the Camden County Police Department at (609) 519-3981.
