As a reporter, I cover plenty of stories where people are killed. I've reached a point in my career where I'm pretty much immune to murders. While it certainly never makes me happy to cover the death of an adult, for better or worse -- I can accept the tragedy in my mind and move on.
It's another story when a child is killed.
On Saturday evening, my photographer Beth and I were sent to Bainbridge Boulevard in Chesapeake to cover a shooting, with one confirmed fatality. It seemed like standard stuff and it was, until we arrived on scene.
That's when Chesapeake Police officer C.J. Thiebaud told me the deceased was a little girl between the ages of one and two. From that point on covering the story (both Saturday and Sunday) became a lot tougher.
Simply put, it breaks my heart when children are the victims of violence. I don't have children of my own, but I have a huge extended family and a godson who means the world to me. (I have a huge picture of him on my desk) If anything happened to Quinn or my other cousins, I'd be beside myself. And when I'm covering a story where kids are hurt, I can't help but think about the unimaginable grief I'd feel if I was put the shoes of parents who inadvertently became targets.
Watching the events of this weekend and Monday play out, all I can hope is that the person responsible for this crime is caught and justice is served.
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