During the evening of Nov. 2, 17-year-old Thomas Loyd had just gotten off work and was taking some time for himself. 

He was sitting down with some pizza rolls, ready to play video games, when his little brother, Aundre Lloyd, 15, left the house in a Halloween costume for a birthday party in north Minneapolis.

Aundre Loyd was a social butterfly, but that night, he didn't come home. 

Prosecutors said a 16-year-old at that party shot Aundre Lloyd in the head after they had some sort of "interaction."

The boy told police during the night of the incident that Aundre Lloyd had given him a compliment about his shoes, charges said. He admitted to touching the gun, according to court documents, though he did not admit to firing it. Police arrested the boy at the scene, and Aundre Lloyd died in the basement of the home where the party was, on Russel Avenue North. 

Thomas Lloyd is heartbroken, but can't help but smile while remembering his little brother. He said that Aundre Lloyd finally made it to "the big leagues," becoming a freshman at Cooper High School in New Hope, Minnesota, this year after graduating from Sojourner Truth Academy. Thomas Lloyd said his brother became fast friends with seniors at Cooper. 

"Everybody knew him. He made himself known. He put happiness and love into the whole school," Thomas Lloyd said. 

Aundre Lloyd had dreams of becoming a professional basketball player, a dream he pursued as a healthy obsession. Thomas Lloyd said he never got professional training growing up. Instead, the teen consumed as much basketball content as he could before heading outside to emulate what he saw. 

"I'm talking YouTube for hours. He'd be on the court, Instagram, TikTok, it's nothing but basketball basketball basketball," Thomas Lloyd said. 

The boy charged with one count of second-degree murder in the shooting is now undergoing a competency evaluation to ensure he can stand trial. His next court hearing is scheduled for Dec. 22. The case remains in juvenile court, but prosecutors in Hennepin County have petitioned to transfer it to adult court.

Thomas Lloyd wants his community to remember that life is not a game, remembering his little brother as a wonderful kid.