Cyclist shot, killed and robbed in Capitol Heights

This is the second shooting of a cyclist in the area in less than a month.

Helena Pannell, 20, Justin's older sister, said that family members think the teenager was "gunned down for his bike and his iPod." Pannell said that, based on accounts from Justin's acquaintances, he had apparently been involved in a fight with another boy, who shot Justin in retaliation and took his bike and iPod.

Pannell said her brother had attended William Hall Elementary School and Walker Mill Middle School and was in his first year at Central High. She said he loved building and fixing bikes and playing basketball.

Just senseless and heartbreaking.

Comments

[Chris]

This is horrible and the idea of killing the kid over a few items or because of a school yard scuffle makes this that much more senseless.

[me]

its senseless in the sense that nothing about this is edifying...nothing about this can be used for good....the pithy response that we could use this tragedy to avert others in the future is...well, pithy, and pitiful and pathetic, and the kind of comment made only by those who carry around a magical "best of all possible worlds" eshcatology...like Obama...

the fact is htis kind of person, the killer, is produced by this culture -- NO ONE is just BORN like this...is THIS "senseless"?

yes it is: white folk in NW care more about their dogs than they care about he black folk in NE...where unemployment is 37 percent...the grad rate is embarassing....there is trash all over the street... and these black folk fill the DC prison despite not being close to a majority of the population...

so, dumb ass, YOUR inactivity, YOUR insipid pandering to identity politics rather than to structural reform that edifies meaningful democracy, YOUR cowardice to speak truth to power and ask YOUR privilieged white friends to SACRIFICE so aspect of their lives for MORALITY -- youre partially to blame here for this kind of senselessness.

actually, it's not senseless at all, [sir]...it is QUITE PREDICTABLE and goes on all the god damn time!!!
it's just that most of the time the folks killed arent on bikes..

[SJE]

@me: can't we all just be sorry that this kid was killed without making it into some big issue about race, class, etc?

[fu]

Wow, "me". Beyond the point. Self-serving and disgusting comment. You are a real jackass. I'd love to hear what YOU do to help the community. Probably nothing but somehow it's whitey's fault. Grow up and, given the nature of this column, show a little respect.