Cradle to grave too swiftly

Miami Herald photographer Carl Juste brought back not only images from the community mourning the death of King Carter, a Miami-Dade 6-year-old shot and killed by a gunman engaged in a fight with someone else; Juste brought back these thoughts:

They stood, in defiance, in fear, and in silence. They stood, on promises of better days on the wings of dreams to weary to fly away from the assaults of guns, the bereavement brought by bullets. They stood with young hearts broken by the pact made with adults to assure their security and self-esteem. They stood, as they heard his name recited, much like a dirge’s refrain to be remembered, then replaced at a future date.

They stood, in confusion and in doubt, not knowing when they were going to get “time-out” from the violence that preys on young souls who are restless from the deluge of tears. The span of time is swift from cradle to grave, as a community mourns and hopes to save one more child before the day’s passing.

This story was originally published March 12, 2016 at 9:04 AM with the headline "Cradle to grave too swiftly."