Kent Brooks Jr. Succumbs to Gunshot Injury
Kent Brooks Jr.
No one has been detained for the murder of Kieran Morrison which took place on June twenty-ninth on La Croix Boulevard, in front of his home. Morrison was shot multiple times and died on the spot. His friend, who was with him at the time, eighteen-year-old Kent Brooks Junior was also injured; he was shot once and rushed to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital in a critical condition. But on Sunday, eleven days and several surgeries later, Brooks succumbed to his injuries. The investigation is now that of a double murder. News Five’s Duane Moody reports.
Duane Moody, Reporting
Eleven days after he was injured once to the lower back during a shooting incident in the St. Martin’s area of the Old Capital, eighteen-year-old Kent Brooks Junior past away at the K.H.M.H. Brooks was hanging out with Kieran Morrison in front of his residence on La Croix Boulevard on June twenty-ninth, when at least one gunman emerged from a nearby street on bicycle and opened fire on them. Morrison died on the spot, while Brooks was critically injured and remained hospitalized until he passed away on Sunday morning at eight-forty-five.
Kent Brooks Sr., Father of Murder Victim
“They called us in a meeting and told us that your son just passed away. When we gone and see ahn, we see the machine that ih give ih last breath and thing. I just want to thank all the doctors at the ICU who tried their best to keep him alive. Everybody who donate blood for me; everybody weh mi di give prayers for him, I want to thank them same way. Everybody pray and thing, but we can’t question the Almighty and we just accept that the Almighty take him away and ih di rest because it was rough for ten days I see my son di fight and try. So I just accept that the Almighty decide for him to go and rest.”
Initially the doctors gave Brooks Junior a twenty percent chance to live because the bullet damaged several of his organs. But even though he was given just a couple days to live, the family was optimistic that he would pull through. According to his father, it was painful to see his eldest son fighting for his life. And now all he has is the memory of Kent Junior as a young child traveling with him across country for football games.
Kieran Morrison
Kent Brooks Sr.
“I could remember I dah wah footballer; I’ve been to Stann Creek, Orange Walk, Cayo…everywhere I does go, I does always have my son with me when I does play. I does play with Culture Yabra and we does travel. Everywhere I go, he does always deh with me. So fi me, I know I miss ahn wah lot because he dah like my everything to me. He do everything; anything I ask he fi do. He dah my barber. Anything I ask he fi do, he do fi me. So for me, I wah miss ahn.”
Duane Moody
“It’s a big loss for the entire family.”
Kent Brooks Sr.
“Yeah fi di entire family yeah.”
With the death of Brooks, the investigation now becomes a double murder, as police have still not charged anyone for the crime. But the La Croix Boulevard area is considered overlapping territory for two feuding gangs in St. Martin’s De Porres and police believed that the shooting was gang-related.
Chester Williams
ACP Chester Williams, Regional Commander, Eastern Division South [File: June 30th, 2016]
“We believe that it is gang related based on what we have gathered so far. And you would know that there are two gangs operating in the St. Martin’s area. We have the PIV and the Back-A-Land crowd and there are instances where some of them are living in what is called the territory of the other. And this is one of those circumstances.”
Duane Moody for News Five.
