This story truly breaks my heart.
Meet 13 year old Devin Brown of Georgia.
This handsome young man loves martial arts fighting and had dreams of one day going to culinary school.
Around six(6) months ago, Devin went to go live with his father Ray Brown in the city of Columbus and began attending Rothschild Middle School.
But in November of 2012, Devin became the target of bullies.
“He came home one time and had some peanut butter pies he had made for school,” says Devin’s father Ray Brown. “When he walked through the door he had some pie left and he had it all over him. Someone had jumped on him and smeared it all over him. But he never wanted to talk about that. We talked to the school, they said we haven’t heard anything about it and just let it go.”
But something that happened at school last week became the final straw for Devin.
Devin saw a girl at school with a butcher knife threatening to stab a teacher. He told his teacher and the girl was taken into custody.
This didn’t fair well with some students.
Devin was quickly targeted for more bullying and called a snitch.
But it wasn’t until last March 28th, Thursday night that Devin’s family realized how far the bullying had gone.
That night, Devin’s stepmother realized Devin wasn’t in his bed and called his older sister.
Cara Downs, Devin’s older sister states that she started walking through the house to help find her brother, when she heard her stepmother screaming, ‘Oh my God, Ray, Ray, help me! I can’t get him down, he hung himself!’
Devin was inside his closet with a belt around his neck.
“I could see the black and blue around his neck and I tried to find a pulse, but couldn’t find it,” says Brown.
Devin did not leave a note, but Brown says his son confided in friends earlier that day. “He told them but the kids didn’t think he meant anything that they thought he just blowing off steam.”
Brown believes being called a “snitch” at school pushed Devin over the edge.
NBC News.com reports:
Muscogee County School District’s director of communications told NBC News she could not confirm there was threat to a teacher, but she said a knife was found.
“It was discovered upon search in the student’s locker. And of course any student discipline, while I can’t talk about particular student discipline, was handled according to policy,” Valerie Fuller said.
At his funeral on Wednesday, a large wooden box with the word “hero” carved on it was set up. Devin’s friends dropped notes into it, thanking him for speaking up about the threat he saw at school, reported WLTZ.
“I made this for him because he is my hero. He did the right thing and he knew he did the right thing,” Brown told the affiliate.
On Devin’s gravestone, the inscription read: “You left too soon, but forever wouldn’t have been long enough. Our hero – Devin Brown.”
And you are also my hero Devin…
Rest In Paradise angel…