WTF: Murder in the city comes close

I generally scoff at concerns about the city's murder rate, because it doesn't affect me much.  Most murders happen in the poorer parts of the city, and involve people I don't know.  I joke that since murders happen mostly between people who are acquainted, just don't have any friends...

But that isn't a helpful way of thinking about it (although I research and write about equity, crime, and public safety issues in deep and thoughtful ways).

(Last year, a nephew of a work colleague of Suzanne's was hit by stray fire in a high profile random shooting.)

Last night, Charnice Milton, a reporter for the Hill Rag, the community newspaper focused on Capitol Hill, was murdered, within a half hour of her covering the monthly meeting of the Eastern Market Community Advisory Committee, which I sit on.  She was quiet during the meeting, attentive, sitting in the first row.

From email:

Capitol Community News Mourns The Loss of Its Own
By Andrew Lightman

Last night, the District's press corp lost one of its own. Capital Community News (CCN) reporter Charnice Milton was tragically gunned down in an apparently random shooting near Good Hope Road at 9:40 p.m.

Charnice Milton was born on June 19, 1987 to Franice Milton. She lived with her mother in Benning Heights in Ward 7. A graduate of Ball State, she earned a Master's from Syracuse.

Charnice began working as a reporter for CCN in August of 2012. Her first assignments involved the nuts and bolts of community journalism. She reported on activities of Advisory Neighborhood Commissions and other public meetings. She soon branched out to profiles and reviewing museum exhibits.

Charnice was a talented reporter with an engaging manner that endeared her to her sources. She was a valued member of the CCN news team completing several assignments a month. This organization will miss her contributions as will the communities of Wards 6, 7 and 8.