Teen killed in Layton shooting was working to turn his life around, friends say
Bryan Brooks, 19, died in a Layton shooting Jan. 29, 2017.
Bryan Brooks, 19, died in a Layton shooting Jan. 29, 2017.
LAYTON — Just when he was turning his life around, 19-year-old Bryan Brooks was shot to death, say the teen’s friends.
Friends said Brooks had recently gotten his high school diploma and was changing his life for the better.
The Ogden resident was shot in the head Sunday night, Jan. 29, while being robbed in Layton’s Chapel Street Park, police said. He was inside a car at the park, along with the male suspects, according to a news release from Layton police, discussing the purchase of drugs. The suspects attempted to rob him and shot him during the course of the robbery, according to the release.
He didn’t deserve to die that way, Brooks’ friends said.
“He was a good friend and loving brother,” said Jordyn Fowers, of Ogden, reportedly Brooks’ best friend. “He always tried to make you laugh, even if it meant he annoyed you. He loved helping out his friends and family. He loved his girlfriend and would have done anything for her. He was overall a wonderful person, and he was always there when you needed him.”
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“He was on the track to getting his life together again,” added friend Jeff Woods, of Ogden.
Virginia Jones, of Ogden, said Brooks had recently received his diploma. “He was a great a guy who made a few mistakes growing up, but he was getting his life together,” she said.
Another friend, Sarah Amelia of Ogden, said she knew Brooks since the two were students at Highland Junior High School in Ogden.
“Dude you were a great homie,” Amelia posted on Brooks’ Facebook page Monday. “Funny, smart, talented, really had your whole life ahead of you.”
In an interview, Amelia said she didn’t believe it was Brooks’ time to die.
“He didn’t deserve what came to him,” she said. “He was so cool. So creative.”
Brooks turned from being on the streets and doing “hard-core” drugs to wanting a future for himself, Amelia said.
“His life was really worth more than getting shot for $375 and weed,” she said. She understood that he was trying to calm the suspects down before he was shot in the eyes.
Brooks was in the passenger seat and his 18-year-old girlfriend was in the driver’s seat, she said. “She was covered in his blood. …. How do you go through that trauma?”
Roy resident Bryan Ford said: “He was a good guy. He just made some bad choices. Just like me.”
Ford knew Brooks from the Weber Valley Juvenile Detention Center where he said they were roommates in 2015. Brooks was in the detention center off and on for a few years, Ford said.
“He was always laughing and smiling,” Ford said. “He was a pretty cool guy. He liked to have fun.”
Ford said he and Brooks played football and basketball frequently in their free time. “He was really good at sports,” Ford said.
Once out of detention, Ford said his friend was doing much better. He said Brooks found him and visited him a few months ago. At that time, Ford said he could see his friend was turning his situation around for the better.
Jamir Wyllie, of Washington Terrace, also said Brooks changed his life. The two were in a foster home together seven years ago, with two other boys who were older.
“He really got me used to foster care,” Wyllie said. “He turned my life around.”
Wyllie was 13 when he met Brooks, he said. Wyllie had recently separated from his biological sister and four brothers and was sad at the time.
“Bryan made my life pretty happy,” he said. “Me and him were like built for tech deck (similar to a small skateboard). We also went snowboarding together.”
Two men from Layton — 19-year-old Bostin Crookston and 18-year-old Isaac Cain Lee Valdez — were arrested in connection with the shooting.
Crookston is charged with murder, obstruction of justice, possession of gun by a restricted person and aggravated robbery, the release says. Valdez is charged with murder, aggravated robbery and obstruction of justice.
Officers with the Layton Police Department worked throughout the night to locate the suspects, according to a news release. They were taken into custody between 3 and 4 a.m. Monday at separate locations.
Jacob Scholl contributed to this report.
You may reach reporter JaNae Francis at jfrancis@standard.net or 801-625-4228. Follow her on Twitter at @JaNaeFrancisSE or like her on Facebook at facebook.com/SEJaNaeFrancis.