April 12, 2023
Atlanta Teenager and Family Friend Die After Saving Four Children From Drowning in Florida
A heroic act from a teenager from Atlanta saved four young children but cost his and a family friend their lives.
According to WSB-TV, Bryce Brooks, 16, rescued four children he did not know on a Florida beach last Thursday. His family said Brooks and their friend, Charles ‘Chuck’ Johnson II, reacted when they saw several children in distress while swimming off the coast of Pensacola.
The children were rescued but Brooks and Johnson, who jumped in to save Brooks, never made it back to shore.
Brooks’ parents, Shivy and Crystal Brooks are obviously devastated. Shivy Brooks said their sons noticed the four other younger kids being swept away by the water’s currents, and they all jumped in to save them.
“Being selfless, our son, Bryce, while being pulled by the currents himself, literally called for help, not for himself, but he was calling for help for the little kids that he was looking out for,” Shivy Brooks said. “Bryce is a hero. He literally saved the lives of four kids at the expense of his own.”
A GoFundMe account was created to help the Brooks family. The goal of $75,000 was surpassed. Over $83,000 was raised as of Wednesday morning. .
“We’re never going to get to see Bryce grow up and be the full man that he was going to be. But we know that he stepped into his manhood to save these children. That makes me proud. It doesn’t take an ounce of pain, but it makes me proud of our son,” said Crystal Brooks.
An Instagram post was shared with the caption: “REST IN PEACE🙏 16-year-old Bryce Brooks of Atlanta died after heroically jumping into action last Thursday at Johnson Beach in Perdido Key and trying to rescue four younger children from drowning.
“Our son saved the lives of kids he did not even know.”
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