PANAMA CITY — Ryan Brooks wore his heart on his sleeve. The tattoo ink on his right arm tells the story of a boy who loved his mother enough to have her name permanently etched on his body along with a blue rose and hummingbirds — her favorites.
Amy McDonald hopes this is the type of sentiment the world will remember about her 20-year-old son whose name is well-known in the community since he was shot and killed July 10.
Brooks’ other tattoos expressed his love for his favorite basketball teams, his grandfather’s favorite Psalm and another one translating the phrase “family above all”.
“It was a very close bond between his siblings and all of his family,” McDonald said.
Since his death in an armed robbery, those who knew Brooks have shared impressions of him as a loving, goofy, athletic, respectful, and well-mannered young man. In their eyes, he was a family-oriented guy who was working on turning his life around.
McDonald describes Brooks as someone who routinely went out of his way to help people out and make them smile.
“He had an infectious laugh,” she said.
Brooks’ friends have taken to the Internet with a huge outpouring of support for his family and their memories of him.
“He did everything to the max, anything he set his mind to, he accomplished,” one of his best friends said in a Facebook post.
The same friend recalled meeting Brooks as a fun-loving 15-year-old who was into skateboarding and sports. He wore skinny jeans and a mohawk haircut. He said in his post that over time Brooks’ persona changed a bit when he acquired a taste for rap music and an urban wardrobe, but “he never changed from that innocent little boy I met six years ago.”
Brooks’ mother said he grew up in a large, blended family with several brothers and sisters he had remained very close to. She hopes the circumstances surrounding his death will not overshadow the other, softer side of the son she knows.
In spite of the legal trouble Brooks had been in, McDonald said he most recently worked on getting his criminal record erased so he could join the Army Reserve and have a career. She said that is why he kept his tattoos in places “that could be covered by a golf shirt.”
“He followed the rules because he knew that one day he would have a future,” she said.
McDonald knows the challenges of losing her son in such a violent manner are just beginning as the investigation into his killing continues. She plans to continue her work as a traveling nurse and stay in close contact with the rest of her children who have been devastated by what happened July 10.
The Facebook comment Brooks’ friend posted after his death summed up the type of legacy he left with those who knew him best.
“Remember him as that sweet guy who would do anything for anyone and ask nothing in return,” the post said.