I've been following the story of Vincent Smothers in the Detroit Free Press. He confessed to shooting a woman in Detroit, and then basically admitted that he'd been a gun-for-hire for many years in the City.
The shooting that led to his arrest caught my attention because it happened in the parking lot of the CVS, (a.k.a. the urban Target) that, well, was "my" CVS for several years while living in River Place, before moving over to Midtown. I never felt unsafe there, so was a little freaked out to think of random violence coming that close to my former 'hood. There was sorta a sick relief when the story broke that the shooting was a specific hit.
But as I've read the articles, there is something incredibly tragic about Smothers story, whose life in Detroit was marked by the random shooting of his young sister in the late-90's. They think that event, combined with a lot of other contributing factors, led him to have little value for life. When I read his story though, I can't help but see some small glimmer of hope for him...and for his life to be redeemed. I don't know how...and thankfully, I don't have to...but I do pray for hope to grow in his heart, and also in the many other people in Detroit...in the world...who have none...that where emptiness, hurt and despair are growing, the bright Hope of the world would shine in.
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