Amari Brown was killed at the age of 7 in Chicago on July 4, 2015. During the time of his death, there was speculation surrounding Amari’s father Antonio. Investigators reported that the bullets were meant for him. Gary McCarthy, who was superintendent of the CPD at the time, said, “If Mr. Brown is in custody, his son is alive. That’s not the case. Quite frankly, he shouldn’t have been on the street,”
If we are being honest ,none of that matters. The only thing that matters is that a child lost his life and a father mourns him. We spoke with Antonio Brown about his son and what he feels his son’s legacy should be.
Please describe the circumstances around the death of your child.
There has been so much pressure on me, from good to bad. I was put across the news saying I was to blame for my son’s death. I even had thoughts of killing myself after it happened. I received death threats from people all across the world. Random mail was even sent to the block where the incident occurred threatening my life, but through it all I met a lady by the name of Arielle Maldonado who is part of an organization that helps people deal with the loss of loved ones and she got me into many other activities and community events which got me through the horrifying loss of my son.
Take a moment to talk about who your child was.
My son’s name is Amari Brown. He was born January 25, 2008 in the city of Chicago. My son was the most incredible person in the world. He was full of joy. He loved to play and had jokes for days. The love he had for his mother was unexplainable. He had a smile that could light up the room. He loved to dance. He really really loved Super Donuts. He also had an obsession for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. On the 4th of July, 2015, that’s when everything came to a halt. Everyone was outside enjoying the fireworks and that was when my son was shot and killed at the age of 7. I rushed him to the hospital. Ever since that day, I’ve been lost and torn apart.
Talk about how you feel when holidays like Father’s Day come around.
As holidays approach, like Father’s Day, I get the worst feeling in the pit of my stomach. Seeing my friends and other people upload pictures of their kids on social media, especially their sons, sometimes brings me to nonstop tears.
Do you have forgiveness for the individuals involved?
No, not at all.
What would you like to say to those who have never experienced what you are going through?
All I could say is make sure you do as much as you can to enjoy your life with your kids because tomorrow is not promised. Don’t let the relationship that you have with your significant other come between seeing the child and never let materialistic things stop you from coming around your child. Time is better than materialistic things. Once you lose a child, you never get over it, you just learn to deal with the loss.
What do you want the legacy of your child to be?
I just want my son’s name to forever live on. I want my story to bring fathers closer to their kids like never before.
What words do you have to say to the perpetrators of this crime?
Excuse my language, but I wish they would rot in hell.
