A 16-year-old teenager died trying to save the lives of four children who were drowning on a beach in Perdido Key, in Escambia County, Florida.
Bryce Brooks, a resident of Atlanta, Georgia, was spending a few days on vacation with his family in the Sunshine State, when last Thursday, April 6, he was involved in a rescue that led to his death.
Bryce, an honor student at his school, died alongside a family friend named Charles Johnson, married with three children. The boy saw four small children, whom he did not know, being swept away by the current, and he jumped in to save them.
Charles later went into the water to help him, but neither of them were able to return to shore.
The incident occurred in an area without lifeguards, on an afternoon when yellow flags were flying, indicating moderate ocean currents.
Last Monday, Bryce's stepfather, Shivy Brooks, spoke at a press conference dedicated to honoring him, held outside Maynard Jackson High School, where the young man attended.
Shivy explained that on the day of the tragedy they were visiting the city of Pensacola, on vacation with other families whose children grew up together.
The man praised the heroic actions of his son and those of the other boys, as well as that of Charles "Chuck" Johnson II, the other deceased, whom the Brooks family called "Uncle Chuck."
"Three of our kids went into the water to retrieve the children that were being pulled out and three of them went to get the adults. And at that moment, being uninterested, our son Bryce, as he himself was being swept away by the currents, literally "He asked for help, but not for himself, for the small children he was taking care of," he explained.
"Bryce is a hero. He literally saved the lives of four children at the expense of his own," he stressed.
The troubled stepfather described him as a "creative" child, passionate about music and fashion, who was a member of his school's fashion club. He was very smart and "just made the honor roll a week ago," he said.
Of Johnson, he said that he was "a person who took care of everyone." "Our good friend, Chuck, jumped in to try to get Bryce back. And even though he was a great swimmer, he went under," he added.
For her part, the teenager's mother said that although she knows that her son is a hero, that does not take away the pain of his loss.
"We will never see Bryce grow up to be the complete man he was going to be. But we know that he came of age to save those children. And that makes me proud. It doesn't take away an ounce of pain, but I'm proud of our son and of what he sacrificed. And I will keep it forever," he said.
The young man's parents asked that people pray for Christian, their six-year-old son, "when he finds out about the loss of his brother."
The organization Get Your Teach On (GYTO), specializing in professional development and encouragement for educators and administrators, launched a fundraising campaign on the platformGoFundMe to help the Brooks family, who have received $84,922 so far.
"16-year-old Bryce was a selfless young man full of passion and love for life. Bryce was the victim of a strong ocean current in Florida after his heroic action of jumping into the ocean to save a group of younger children from the Bryce's actions helped save several lives," the petition recalls.
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