Family, coaches have 'no words' to describe pain of losing Jafar Brooks

Those who knew Jafar Brooks were lost for words in the days following the teenager’s untimely death.

“There are no words, you can’t describe this feeling. When you love someone, ain’t no words to make them feel better,” said Rashad Byrdsong, grandfather of the Churchill teen who was fatally shot earlier this week.

Byrdsong and his wife, Amargie Davis, have worked together for 30 years trying to prevent the fate met by their grandson. Brooks, 15, was found dead by police in Penn Hills early Tuesday morning after a shooting along the 1900 block of Garden Drive.

Byrdsong is the founder of the Homewood-based Community Empowerment Association, whose mission is to “address the needs of the children, youth, adults, and families among African American communities,” according to its website.

The couple raised Brooks from an early age and involved him in the several programs CEA runs. One of them, World Changers, had a meeting coming up Saturday that Brooks planned on attending. The program worked to portray a world without violence and used lessons in multimedia, such as video production and podcasting, to do it.

“So he had an understanding and awareness into what was going on in the community,” Byrdsong said. “We can’t keep blaming the parents. We did everything by the book. We invested in him and he was still the victim.”

Allegheny County Police are investigating the shooting. Michael Peairs, a county detective, said detectives are “actively pursuing leads.”

“We have information that leads us to believe that the victim was targeted and that the incident was not random,” he said in an email Wednesday. He did not offer additional details.

Penn Hills police Chief Howard Burton did not return calls seeking comment.

Martell Covington, 33, of Pittsburgh’s Lincoln-Lemington neighborhood, said his nephew was an inspiration for him to succeed in life.

“He kept me positive. I always made the right decisions because of Jafar. I didn’t want to do anything that would embarrass him or pain him. He was my angel,” Covington said.

Covington also worked at CEA. Many of the programs he worked in over the years, including coaching a Little League baseball team, also involved Brooks. He got to know him very well, the uncle said. For two years, he has worked in Sen. Jay Costa’s office in Forest Hills “just trying to do the same work on another level,” Covington said.

Covington said Brooks was passionate about sports and that even at a young age it was evident the youngster had a future in whatever sport he decided to focus on — whether it be football, baseball, wrestling or martial arts.

“It still amazes me how he could throw so hard at, like, 4 or 5,” he said, chuckling.

But, he said, Brooks was multitalented. At family gatherings, Brooks would hold serious conversations with adults one minute and the next he would get up and dance or tell jokes.

“Oh, and he was a good cook, too,” Covington said. “I don’t know how, but he could make some good peach cobbler.”

With a somber tone, Covington described a conversation he had with Brooks just before Thanksgiving. He requested his nephew’s peach cobbler for the holiday meal, but Brooks refused to steal his grandmother’s thunder. She was making cake.

“So I told him he should make it for New Year’s because I knew we’d all be getting together. I’m sad we won’t be able to have him do that. He had so many talents,” Covington said.

Brooks attended Imani Christian Academy before transferring to Central Catholic High School this year, where he joined the school’s freshman football team.

“He was a fearless kid,” said Bob O’Neill, head coach of the freshman team.

Standing only around 5 feet, 5 inches and weighing in around 140 pounds, Brooks didn’t let his smaller stature get in the way of his duties on the field, O’Neill said.

“(Brooks) really had great potential. I coached (Kenny Robinson), who was an excellent player. So he had the potential to be something very special on the football field as he progressed through school.”

Kenny Robinson was Brooks’ cousin who also played at Central Catholic his first year of high school before transferring to Imani Christian Academy. Robinson now plays as a safety for the Carolina Panthers in the NFL.

O’Neill said Brooks, who played as a defensive end and wide receiver, was coachable and that he worked hard.

“Just because he was a small player, that didn’t slow him down,” O’Neill said. “He bought into the Central Catholic program and understood we’re a family and a brotherhood. It’s a really big loss for all of us.”

The school published a statement, offering condolences and a prayer for the family, on its Facebook page Wednesday. The school said counselors would be made available online for students in need.

Darius McGhee, the high school’s freshman dean and a freshman football coach, said Brooks had an infectious personality and smile.

McGhee said Brooks would often hang out with a group of friends during lunch period at school.

“He was a light amongst that group, man. He was always laughing and smiling,” McGhee said. “And all of his teachers liked him as a student. He was a talented young man and worked hard in the school room – not just on the field.”

Brooks’ grandparents want to get the message out: Street violence is a public health issue that needs to be addressed strategically between public and private leaders.

“Children are suffering. His friends are upset. This is not their first loss. It’s become part of their wardrobe, these T-shirts made with different friends’ names they’ve lost,” said Davis, the teenager’s grandmother.

Byrdsong said it will take everybody to offer young teens a meaningful life that does not involve violence. He said after the grieving process, more strategies need to formulate.

“We need more counselors, therapists, teachers, political officials to sit down, talk about strategies about how to save our children,” he said.

A viewing for Brooks will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 18 at CEA, 7120 Kelly St., followed by a private funeral for family. A memorial dedication with a balloon release will take place at 2 p.m. that day in front of CEA.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the county police tip line at 833-ALL-TIPS. Callers can remain anonymous.