Detectives investigating death of high school football star in Camden killed in gun ‘discharge’ incident
Xyere Brooks, 16, a sophomore at KIPP Cooper Norcross Academy, died Friday.
Detectives are investigating the death in Camden of a 16-year-old high school football star who was killed in a gun “discharge” incident late last week, the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office said Monday.
On Friday around 12:35 p.m., officers from the Camden County Police Department responded to a report of a person shot at a residence on the 1500 block of Thorn Street.
Xyere Brooks, a sophomore at Kipp Cooper Norcross Academy, was found with a gunshot wound inside the residence and was transported to Cooper University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 2:15 p.m.
“Multiple juveniles were determined to have been in the residence at the time of the incident. Detectives are continuing to investigate the circumstances under which the firearm was discharged,” the prosecutor’s office said.
“No criminal charges have been filed at this time. This investigation is active and ongoing,” the prosecutor’s office said.
KIPP Cooper Norcross Academy issued a statement on Instagram early Monday saying “Xyere was a committed student, a loyal and encouraging teammate and friend, and a standout football player whose talent and drive were evident to all who knew him.”
Brooks began attending at KIPP Lanning Square Middle “as a fifth grader with a smile that could light up a room, a competitive spirit, and the kind of energy that brought joy to every hallway and dance battle,” KIPP Cooper Norcross Academy said.
The academy said “Xyere will be deeply missed by everyone who had the privilege of knowing him” and that grief support was available this week for students and staff.