BUFFALO, N.Y. — Buffalo Police are looking for the person who shot and killed 18-year-old Columbus Brooks. It happened around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday on Woodlawn Avenue near Dupont Street.
While gray skies hang over an East Buffalo community tonight, residents gather to mourn the loss of 18-year-old Columbus Brooks. His sister, Athenia Cyrus, spoke to Channel 2 about her brother.
"I can't figure out why this would happen to him. He was a great kid. He had a great big heart," Cyrus said.
Crime Stoppers Western New York is looking for Brooks' shooter. They're offering a $7,500 reward if anyone knows any information about the shooter. Cyrus says her brother was loved by everyone in the community.
A vigil sits at a nearby park, where Cyrus says Brooks spent much of his time. There's a candle marking the spot where Brooks' body was found.
As the family mourned the loss of a beloved family member, everyone kept asking, "Why?" Why does the black community constantly need to have conversations about gun violence?
"My big answer is to fix our community. That is my big answer. I could go on and on about all the little things that could have been changed. He would still be here. Fix it," Cyrus said.
That's what Cyrus says Brooks wanted to do: Fix his community.
Last year he graduated from East Community High School. He wanted to be a parole officer and help young Black kids in the system.
It's just unfortunate because "he almost beat the odds."
Now Athenia sits speechless at the thought she lost her little brother to yet another case of senseless gun violence.
"He deserves more than to just die on the sidewalk. I'm still working on that, but he doesn't deserve to die right there. His life was worth saving," Cyrus says.
If you know any information about Brooks' murder, call Crime Stoppers Western New York at (716)-867-6161.