BALTIMORE — — Decades after losing her older brother to gun violence, Michelle Hines tried everything to keep her teenage son safe: checking in regularly with his teachers, coordinating extracurricular activities, and most importantly, trying to prevent him from growing up too fast.
Last week, officials announced an arrest in Izaiah’s case. Police provided few details about how they solved the killing, saying a motive hasn’t been identified. Hines said she was in close touch with many of Izaiah’s teachers at Patterson High School in east Baltimore. On March 6, the day he was killed, a teacher texted her saying he missed last period. A short time later, Hines received a call from the principal who told her about the shooting.
During Izaiah’s funeral service, several friends and loved ones — including fellow cadets in his Junior ROTC class — spoke about their loss. They described his quirky smile, goofy personality and caring demeanor. At the downtown restaurant where he recently started working, Izaiah was known for drinking Shirley Temples and keeping his coworkers laughing.“But as I’m going through these stages of grief and my feelings are fluctuating, I keep getting stuck in the anger,” she said.