EDITORIAL: Not the time for answers

The loss of any young life is grievous, but the manner in which Mercer student and member of its basketball team Jibri Bryan died hits particularly hard. His family is certainly in a state of shock -- and that family goes beyond his parents to a wider community of Mercer and the surrounding area. Mercer University Chancellor Kirby Godsey said, "Because we are all connected, we all belong together and the loss of one affects us all."

The crime was peculiar for several reasons -- one, for the time of day, 4 p.m. And the location. There are few drivers who have not gone past the intersection of College and Forsyth streets, as it is one of the major arteries into downtown Macon. It was also unusual to have one of the two alleged perpetrators shoot the other, wounding him seriously.

While our first instinct is to point at this senseless crime and ask our elected representatives and law enforcement what they plan to do to stop such crimes in the future, the time for those answers, if there are any, can wait. Right now, as a community, we have catch our breath and grieve.

This story was originally published February 4, 2016 at 9:44 PM with the headline "EDITORIAL: Not the time for answers ."