Boy, 12, dies after being hit by suspected DUI driver while walking to school, family says

LAS VEGAS (KVVU/Gray News) - A child’s family says they have lost their boy after he was hit by a suspected drunken driver.

The 12-year-old has been identified as Cristofer Suarez. His mother, Martina Suarez, said he was on life support before dying on Monday.

“He’s brain dead,” she said in an interview Monday. “Today is going to be his time of death, and I’m so mad.”

Las Vegas police said the crash occurred Friday, just before 8 a.m., near the intersection of Eastern and Owens avenues. Cristofer had just stepped off a curb in a school zone when he was hit by a vehicle.

The driver, later identified as Oh’Ryan Brooks, 27, did not initially stop at the scene of the crash, police said. He was later found by law enforcement officials.

“This person hit my son; he left him there like he was a piece of trash,” Martina Suarez said. “Like he was a dog — went about his day.”

Martina Suarez said she works the graveyard shift, and on that morning, her son and her twin daughters were walking to school. Cristofer had a mariachi performance that night and wanted to go in early to practice. He was hit just as he was walking behind his twin sisters.

“My daughters still have to go to that same school,” Martina Suarez said. “I have to drive by there. This ended my whole life, this ended my son’s life.”

Before Cristofer’s death, Brooks faced one count of failing to stop at the scene of a crash, DUI resulting in substantial bodily harm, and reckless driving — all felonies.

Court records showed he was being held on a $250,000 bail, and Martina Suarez said she does not want the alleged driver responsible to get off easy.

“I have moments where my chest hurts, I can’t breathe, I’m so mad,” Martina Saurez said.

Clark County School District Superintendent Jhone Ebert said school leaders are heartbroken over losing Cristofer.

“The Clark County School District is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of a student from J. D. Smith Middle School. Our hearts are with the J.D. Smith community as well as the students’ friends and loved ones as they grieve this unimaginable loss,” she shared. “As a community, we need to come together and send the message that we will not tolerate impaired driving.

According to an arrest report, Brooks admitted to his involvement in the crash, telling police that he smoked marijuana before the collision, and smoked more after ”because he knew he was going to jail."

Brooks appeared briefly in court on Tuesday, stating that he understood the charges against him. His public defender requested a preliminary hearing in two weeks, and he is scheduled to appear in court again on Oct. 21.