The Brief
- Xyere Brooks, 16, was fatally shot inside a home in Camden last Friday, officials say.
- Brooks was a star student-athlete at KIPP High School.
- The Camden County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Unit is investigating.
CAMDEN, NJ
–
The Camden community is grieving the tragic loss of 16-year-old Xyere Brooks, a sophomore and standout football player at KIPP High School.
What we know
On Friday, June 6, at approximately 12:35 p.m., Camden County police officers responded to a residence on the 1500 block of Thorn Street in Camden for a report of a person shot.
Upon arrival, officers found the victim, later identified as 16-year-old Xyere Brooks of Camden, suffering from a gunshot wound inside the home.
Brooks was taken to Cooper University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead a couple of hours later.
Police say multiple juveniles were in the residence at the time of the incident.
No criminal charges have been filed at this time.
Detectives are continuing to investigate the fatal shooting.
What they’re saying
Xyere Brooks was remembered by his school as a dedicated student and supportive teammate, with KIPP High School sharing his picture on Instagram.
In response to the tragedy, the Camden community gathered at Wiggins Waterfront Park to address the gun violence crisis.
The event, part of National Gun Violence Awareness Month, was organized by the county’s Board of Commissioners in collaboration with the New Jersey Moms Demand Action organization.
The campaign, which began after a high school student was shot and killed in Chicago in 2013, aims to reduce gun-related deaths across the nation.
A young leader with the organization emphasized the importance of youth involvement in the movement, stating, “Like gun violence is normal… like mass shootings are old news. How can the rest of the world and I stand still and complacent and complicit while people around us are dying every day because of problems unique to these United States?”
Organizers encourage participation by wearing orange to stand out, as many did at the event, highlighting that ending gun violence starts with being seen. The community is urged to join the movement and contribute to efforts aimed at reducing gun violence and saving lives.
What you can do
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. Tips can also be sent to CAMDEN.TIPS.
The Source
The information in this story is from the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office.
