Aric's Story

Aric Brill was only 16 years old when he was murdered. On February 20, 2009 Aric was returning to a birthday party after walking to a near by 7- Eleven with some friends when they were confronted by a group of 4 men.. A witness said one of the assailants shouted at the boys that they were being robbed, threatening to shoot if anyone ran.

As Aric and one of the other boys ran for their lives, multiple bullets were fired at them. Both of the boys were shot. Aric’s friend was critically wounded, but survived. Aric was shot in the back of the head, severing an artery to his brain. In the blink of an eye, his life was over. It was reported that one of the assailants ran up and robbed Aric as he lay on the ground bleeding before fleeing the scene.

First to arrive on the scene – Police Officer Vernon Ferguson. Ferguson found Aric face down on the pavement. He had gravel in his mouth and was heavily bleeding. Ferguson scooped the gravel out of his mouth and began CPR. He then stopped the bleeding by blocking the wound with his fingers. He continued CPR with his free hand for several minutes until medical personnel arrived.

Ferguson’s efforts were the critical measures that ultimately saved Aric’s organs allowing for Aric to fulfil his last wish to donate all of his organs to those in need in the event of his death. A decision he shared with his mother just 2 weeks earlier while standing in line at the DMV.

Aric was able to donate 6 organs that saved the lives of 5 different people in his death. His last act of selflessness served – just a glimpse of the compassion Aric had for humanity.

The Brill family moved to Las Vegas, Nevada from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania when Aric was 4 years old.

Aric had a love for books from early on in his childhood. Aric read chemistry books and medical journals as a 7-year-old, exuding a never-ending thirst for information. He wanted to understand cosmic activity, energy distribution and computer science. As a 4th grader Aric was at college level oral and written language expression and was taking 12th grade physics in 5th grade. As a high school student he was the Interim President of The Future Business Leaders of America and was a member of the National Honor Society

Aric had goals he wanted to achieve in his future. He knew some of the goals would not be accomplished until later in his life, so he kept lists — a lot of lists — in his wallet, in his bedroom and everywhere in between to keep track of all of his goals. Of the many goals on his lists – Two of the goals listed were to graduate from high school with honors and to get a scholarship to college. Goals that he would not ever have the chance to accomplish.

Aric was a volunteer for Steps Up – Steps up is a rehabilitation program for homeless men. They house them, help them get construction jobs, and help them to Independence…..

Aric wanted everyone to have a chance to succeed through knowledge. He believed that reading helped open minds to imagine being able to achieve anything.

Aric was computer savvy – stayed physically fit playing football and skateboarding -and enjoyed spending time with his friends. He was best friends with his younger brother Kevin. He was not affiliated with any gangs.

Seven years would pass after Aric’s murder and his case file rested in the cold cases. The idea that justice would ever be served was non existent and heartbreaking for the Brill family.

Then finally… the news they had been waiting to hear. There had been arrests made and 4 men would be arraigned in court in the coming days for their alleged part in the murder of Aric Michael Brill. It had been seven years, four months and 17 days. Aric’s parents, Karen and Donald Brill stood in the courtroom fighting tears, clutching a framed photograph of him, wearing buttons of the same image, along with a necklace that contained his ashes.

As the defendants’ names were announced and they stood to hear the charges filed against them they seemed to do so with no concern for what consequences lie ahead. With accusations being said of them – That on Feb 20 2009 they allegedly robbed 5 boys , shooting 2 of them critically injuring one of the boys and killing the other, they were able to stand there in the courtroom straight faced. One of them showing a slight smirk on his face. This attitude was hurtful and bothersome to Aric’s mother Karen.

The indictment of the 4 men who were only 18 and 19 years of age at the time of Aric’s murder triggered thoughts for Karen. Those men were at one time innocent boys. Boys that were guided down the wrong path in life. Could it be that if things had been different for those men in their adolescence – Had they had a positive source to help guide them in the right direction – We would not be living without Aric today?

Reality hit home that many lives were affected by choices made that night in Feb 2009. Choices that could have been intercepted many years before the night Aric was murdered ever occurred. It lit another fire in Karen. She was going to be an interceptor for today’s youth. The positive choice to turn to.

Karen thought about how Aric always wanted to help people succeed through knowledge. How he believed that reading helped open minds to imagine being able to achieve anything.

Those thoughts were the inspiration behind Aric’s Safe Neighborhood Mobile Library. Karen delivers books to children in at-risk neighborhoods. She hands out lunches as well as board games to the children. She takes the time to reach out to the children and expose them to ideas for a positive future. She does all this to promote literacy, responsibility and the importance of staying in school in an effort to prevent gang memberships.

Preventing memberships into gangs is a life changer for so many. With the use of Aric’s Mobile Library, Karen has the possibility of turning a child’s negative vision of their future around to a positive vision with the turn of every page.