Balloon release, Author Andy Mabbett (CC BY-SA 4.0 International)
WARNING: Graphic Images
The body of a 12 y.o. boy was found this week in a dumpster in West Philadelphia — a destitute and poverty stricken corner of the City of Brotherly Love [1A].
The boy, Hezekiah “Hezzy” Bernard, had been shot in the head. His body was wrapped in plastic before being discarded with the trash, at a public housing complex. The death has been formally ruled a homicide.
“He lit up a room. He was always dancing…He was teachable, he wanted to be mentored and he was joining our new job training program.”
–Pastor Aaron Campbell of LevelUp, a Christian non-profit which serves Philadelphia’s disadvantaged youth [1B][2]
Hundreds in the community gathered for a balloon release to honor the young boy. But he was never reported missing by family or friends, and the challenge for police will be to identify his killer.
Witness cooperation with law enforcement investigations is notoriously difficult to obtain in Philadelphia. This stems from a combination of misplaced loyalty, police distrust, and the constant fear of retribution.
Was this boy, himself, the witness to a crime? Was he shot to punish some family member? Was he a victim of mistaken identity? Was his death pay-back for some imagined slight to a stranger? Was he simply at the wrong place, at the wrong time — collateral damage in yet another unreported shooting?
Life is cheap in what these days is politely called the “inner city”. Children are murdered and left in dumpsters.
But this is not how God sees it.
“Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity, and honor” (Prov. 21: 21).
God is the source of all life. Through Him we can have life, now and in eternity. That is our comfort in affliction (Ps. 119: 50).
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[1A and 1B] Philadelphia Inquirer, “The body of a 12-year-old boy was found in a dumpster in West Philadelphia, police say” by Ellie Rushing and Chris Palmer, 8/31/23, https://www.inquirer.com/crime/hezekiah-bernard-body-found-dumpster-west-philadelphia-20230831.html.
[2] LevelUp, https://levelupphilly.org/.
A second 12 y.o. boy, Jaylen Richards, was shot Saturday night in Baltimore, MD. Whether he was the intended target is unknown. He died in Shock Trauma, after unsuccessful attempts to save him.
See, https://www.wbaltv.com/article/maisel-court-shooting-baltimore/43609191#.
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