ST. LOUIS (KMOV/Gray News) – Nearly four months after a 16-year-old high school hockey player was killed by senseless gun violence on the way home from a game, his parents are sharing their story of love and great loss.
At a St. Louis home, a teenager’s bedroom remains frozen in time: a jersey draped across the bed, a backpack with a half-filled water bottle on the floor and a calendar with Nov. 22 crossed off.
“The last day X-ed out was the day before he was shot,” said Tracey Brown, the mother of 16-year-old Colin Brown.
Colin Brown was a star hockey player, an honor student at Christian Brothers College High School and a beloved son and brother. He was shot Nov. 23 while riding in the car with his father, Calvin Brown, on the way home from a high school hockey game. A stray bullet came through their windshield while they were on Interstate 55 in the South City neighborhood, KMOV reports.
“He was happy in the car,” Calvin Brown said. “We were just headed home, and then, all of a sudden, world was shattered.”
Despite the best efforts of hospital staff, the 16-year-old did not survive his injuries.
As he was taken to donate his organs, Colin Brown’s friends, family and teammates lined the halls to say goodbye. It was a final act of kindness from a young man who was known for helping others and had one day hoped to go to medical school.
“We do know that his heart went to a man who had five kids, so somebody’s father is getting to spend their days with their children. We don’t get to spend days with ours, but there are some kids who have their dad,” Tracey Brown said.
In the months since their son’s death, the Brown family has tried to cope with the unimaginable. Their world was turned upside down by a senseless act of violence.
“It’s excruciating. I’ve described to people that on that day, four of us were killed, except three of us didn’t die,” Tracey Brown said. “There isn’t a day without tears. There isn’t a day we’re not concerned for his brother. They were the best of friends.”
The support the family has received has been overwhelming, with prayers, messages and gifts pouring in from around the country. The hockey community in particular has been instrumental in helping them get through their darkest days.
“It’s something that we appreciate, all the support. But every day, you gotta come home. Every day, you expect to see him coming down the stairs. You see our table. It’s a table of four, but there’s only three of us that will ever sit there again,” Calvin Brown said. “We had our own little communication style with each other. That type of thing is never going to happen again, and you realize the finality of that.”
Three people – 26-year-old Garrett Jordan III, 28-year-old Donovan Baucom and 27-year-old Diamond Baucom – have been indicted by a grand jury on charges related to Colin Brown’s death, including first-degree murder. All three suspects are being held without bond.
The Brown family is grateful for the police work that has led to the start of the judicial process, but they are also hopeful the story of their loss might bring greater change when it comes to gun violence.
“People are destroyed by senseless acts,” Calvin Brown said. “There has to be more done to stop these things or at least lessen them. I don’t want anyone else to have to go through this. I never imagined this, but if telling this can help someone else be a catalyst, we need to do something.”
The family hopes to eventually start a scholarship to carry on Colin Brown’s legacy.
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