Lenny Jurado and Daniel Borunda / El Paso Times

Standing 6 feet 3 inches, El Paso High School basketball player Eddy Vargas was big on the court, but his caring personality stood taller, family and friends said Wednesday.

"He had a very big heart. He liked to help people," Eddy's mother, Cristina Vargas, said.

Eddy Vargas, 16, suffered a fatal head injury when he was assaulted, family members say, by teenage gang members Saturday night in Juárez around the corner from his parents' home. Vargas, who was born in El Paso and lived with his grandparents here, was known to give some of his clothes and toys to the children of his parents' neighborhood in Juárez, family said.

Eddy was declared brain-dead Tuesday at Thomason Hospital. He was taken off life support Wednesday afternoon after surgery to remove four organs for donation.

"Todo mundo en Juárez el queria ayudar," Juan Manuel Vargas said, describing his only son's desire to help the "entire world" in Juárez. The couple also have a 13-year-old daughter, Brenda.

"I'll be right back," Eddy Vargas told his parents Saturday night as he walked out with a few buddies to get ice cream around the corner from his parents' home.

Gang members allegedly confronted Eddy Vargas and asked for gold chains and earrings, his family said. "Que barrio? (What neighborhood?)," the gang members reportedly asked him.

Vargas was hit near the eyebrow, possibly with the butt of a gun, his mother said. He fell, struck his head and was knocked unconscious.

The 16-year-old alleged gang member has been identified by Juárez police, but his entire family appeared to have moved out of town when police tried to arrest him at his home Tuesday, Juan Vargas said he was told by police.

Eddy Vargas was transferred to Thomason Hospital, and loved ones were optimistic he would survive. Though unconscious much of the time, he was able to recognize his longtime girlfriend, Allison Mora.

"The last time I talked with him (Sunday), I told him I'd come back at 8 o'clock (Monday morning) to see him. He said, 'OK, I love you. Bye,' " Mora said.

Friends and teammates gathered at Mora's house Wednesday, remembering a youth who was enamored of his Euro-style Mitsubishi Eclipse and loved basketball almost as much as he loved his girlfriend.

"This was a big surprise for all of us," said Freddy Dominguez, a friend from Vargas' car club, Team Dynamic. "I didn't think something like this would happen to Eddy. He was a really nice guy who always stayed out of trouble."

Vargas was known for his smile, which seemed fixed no matter what the circumstances, whether it was hugging his girlfriend of 2 1/2 years or running extra laps during basketball practice.

As a basketball player, Vargas was a rarity at El Paso High School. "El Grande." He was one of the school's tallest students, and he was talented enough to earn a varsity spot as a freshman.

A Philadelphia 76ers fan, Vargas dreamed of playing at the University of North Carolina and making it to the NBA.

To El Paso High School varsity boys basketball coach Mark Reynolds, Vargas was "off-the-chart gold."

"I had upperclassmen who looked up to him. Eddy strived to do better and worked and had fun. He had fun with life and knew that life was for a purpose -- to give. He even had a talk with his dad a week before this happened and said he'd be happy to donate his organs," Reynolds said.

Teammates were quick to recognize Vargas' concern for others.

"When we were losing, he'd get us to play," teammate Eric Saenz, a senior, said. "We'd argue amongst each other, but he'd never get mad. He was the heart of the team."

It was that compassion that packed the Thomason Hospital lobby with what seemed like all of El Paso.

"There were a lot of kids at the hospital, and they were there for three days," said DJ Mora, Allison's mother. "There were parents, kids, coaches... there were so many people there that many of them had to sit on the floor.

Added Reynolds, who said he lived at Thomason for three days, "It was evident how many lives he touched. It was amazing."

Although Vargas' passing was a tragedy, his friends hope a positive message can be learned from his death.

"I think we're going to get something good out of this," said Tiger basketball player Aaron Ponce, a senior. "It's going to help us all out. All these years we've been playing together and we're always fighting with each other, but I think this will give us more respect for each another and our opinions. We're going to do the best we can this upcoming season for him.

We're going to try to win a championship for him. That's what he always wanted, to win one championship."

Appreciating life, Mora said, would be the perfect way to honor a boy who was never caught frowning.

"I hope this is a big eye-opener for kids who think it can't happen to them," she said.

"For me, saying goodbye to him then not seeing him anymore ... it opens your eyes. It shows you how precious life is and how quickly it can leave."

Cristina Vargas said she feels a sense of comfort that her son was able to help others even in death.

"I never felt anger against" the attackers, she said calmly. "I knew God had a plan. ... When (Eddy) was born, the nurse told me, 'This boy will be somebody special.' I have always remembered that and now I understand."