An Officer, Father's Pain Of Losing His Son To Gun Violence

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) —  CBS2/KCAL9 is teaming up with the city of Los Angeles for this year's Anonymous Gun Buyback on Saturday, May 7.

It is part of an effort to collect illegal and unwanted guns, which often end up being used in crimes such as the one that changed the life of Los Angeles police officer Stinson Brown forever on July 17, 2009.

Brown said he felt sick on that day and his symptoms got worse. It was as if his body was telling him something bad was about to happen, and it did.

His 21-year-old son, Stinson Ameer Brown, a standout football player at Southwest Community College, was killed - a victim of gun violence.

"My son was with two young men and two young ladies at this house party," at Don Felipe Drive and Don Tapia Place in Baldwin Hills, Brown said.

While Stinson Ameer was waiting in the car, two young men wearing hoodies approached the vehicle. "One kid, the shooter, drew a gun from his pocket, pointed at my son's direction and shot three times," Brown said.

He learned the bad news the next morning when two fellow police officers showed up at his door and told him: "Stinson, your son was shot. He didn't make it," the officer recounted.

"Any father would have felt like I felt at that time to say: 'Somebody is going to have to pay.'" But instead, he turned his grief to good - helping others change their lives to achieve their hopes and dreams with his non-profit organization - Brother II Brother.

"I've been given a gift to be able to reach multitudes of young men of different ethnic backgrounds," Brown added.

His pain of losing his only son never goes away. But he gets strength from the joy he receives by being a mentor and a father figure to a lot of other young men.

"I simply want to be remembered as a man who cared about all people, and a man who gave up selfishly to other young men in spite of the fact that his own son was taken from him at the prime of his life," Brown said.

Click here for more information on Saturday's gun buyback program.