‘Why did it happen to somebody like him?’ grieving fellow Christians demand to know.

Second Place, News Story, Associated Church Press

Second Place, In-Depth Coverage, Associated Church Press

By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle

DALLAS — The preacher stood wearily on stage, wiping tears from his eyes.

The mayor, working to bring healing to a city of 1.3 million, sought solace on a front pew.

Allison Jean, mourning the fatal shooting of her son Botham Shem Jean by a Dallas police officer, wailed as the 250-member, predominantly black congregation sang hymns such as “Trouble in My Way.”

“I know that Jesus — Jesus — he will fix it after a while,” the church sang.

Television and newspaper cameras captured the emotion — and the heartbreak — as the Dallas West Church of Christ gathered to worship Sunday, three days after the inexplicable killing of 26-year-old Botham Jean in his own apartment.

This was no ordinary Lord’s Day for Christians grieving the sudden loss of a beloved song leader and Bible class teacher — and doing so under an immense media spotlight stretching from Texas all the way to the Caribbean island nation of St. Lucia.

“Somebody like Bo — why?” longtime church member Sherron Rodgers said, uttering the question on everybody’s mind. “Why did it happen to somebody like him? I’m just sad.

“He was a special, kind person who would never mess with anybody,” she added. “He’d take off his jacket and give it to you. That’s the kind of person he was.”

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This story appears in the October 2018 edition of The Christian Chronicle. It was picked up by Religion News Service and distributed on its national wire.