ATLANTA — A solemn occasion brought two families who are in mourning together on Tuesday night. A group gathered at Grant Park in Atlanta for a candlelight vigil to remember 16-year-old Bryce Brooks and basketball coach Charles "Chuck" Johnson.
Both died following a recent trip to Florida. Family members said Bryce lost his life after jumping into the ocean in Escambia County. He sprang into action when four young children he didn't know were caught in a strong current at the beach.
Chuck, a friend of the Brooks family, was also there and tried to go after Bryce, but went under too. He was a husband and a father to three children.
The pain is double for Chuck's son, Braden Johnson, who was there when it happened.
“My father was also lost the same day trying to save Bryce, and man, that hurt losing a friend and a father in the same day," he said.
He described his father as a kind person who was nice to everyone he knew.
“I don’t know anybody who disliked him," he said.
He told 11Alive his dad always put a smile on the faces of other people. That smile was present as he described his father's manner.
"He was a great man," he said.
Bryce's father, Alfred "Shivy" Brooks, said his son was a 16-year-old honor student who showed up and helped so many people during his time here on Earth.
“He was a hero to many living every day, he was a person who just showed up," he said.
Eric Harrison, Bryce's friend, said the teen was someone he always looked up to.
“He was always just there for you. He was kind and smart, lit up every room, smile mile contagious, laugh contagious and everything about him was just perfect," he said.
Mayor Andre Dickens attended the vigil as well, paying tribute to Brooks and Johnson and calling them heroes.
"This is a story of heroism, by both Charles Johnson and young Bryce Brooks," Dickens said. "A young man, an honor roll student, a family that really cares about others. He showed up when he saw people struggling, and he just jumped into action. This is a young hero in our community."
There will be a homegoing Saturday, April 22, at noon at the Maynard Jackson High School gym, where Bryce attended.
Last week, a 12-year-old boy named Rashad Williams died after being placed on life-support after being swept up by the same current.