This city has been in mourning for a week and today, we bury one of our own. So many questions left unanswered - so many lives affected - so many hearts broken.I did not know Scott Severns, but my older children did. Our family has quite a few good friends on the South Bend Police Force - Tim Lancaster, Dave (Bub) Ryans, Derek Dieter, and Josh Gobel (Kevin's high school baseball assistant coach).
Last weekend, Carrie and I were out of town when the shooting took place and we awoke early on Saturday morning to the news. The broadcast was not releasing the officer's name. I called home to a friend who I knew would have some information - and she did. I was relieved to hear that our friends were safe. I didn't recognize the name, but as I repeated the name I saw the look on Carrie's face and knew she recognized it.
On Saturday night, we huddled in our hotel room and watched the news - learning that he was in extrememly critical condition. Upon arriving home on Sunday, we learned that he had passed away. As we watched the news on Sunday evening, they released the name and photo of the 17 year old accused of pulling the trigger and Kevin solemnly stated - "he's in my 3rd hour class". Now, Kevin's not one to ever go into much detail on anything. All he really told us was that the kid was new - recently moved here from Atlanta (which was confirmed in an email we received from the high school principal on Monday).
As I type this entry, the family and friends of Scott Severns are gathered at St. Matthew's Cathedral for the funeral mass. Thousands of officers from all over the country have arrived for the tribute to a fallen officer. Our flags are flying at half staff and our hearts are heavy.
God Bless You Scott Severns. May you rest in peace.
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