Murder has no singular, identifiable look. Young homicidal
maniacs like those four black males who allegedly killed Derrion Albert unfortunately don’t come in the nice, neat “killer package”
we envision when we think of murderers. They don’t fit the social recipe we
concoct in our minds about what an incorrigible savage or human predator looks
like. Look at the boys – Silvanus Shannon, 19; Eric Carson [not pictured] 16; Eugene Riley, 18; and Eugene Bailey, 17. They didn’t sport dreads or besmear their faces with
tattoos, nor are their grills covered with gold caps. They didn’t decorate their
heads with a smattering of ring piercings. None of the boys have muscles
bulging out of their shirts or out the sides of their necks. Their faces are
not marked with scars or knots or blotches that would indicate previous
battles.
In other words, the four boys don’t fit the physical description
of bloodless killers. They can’t be easily compartmentalized as the ones to look
out for. They look like young everyday brothers you might see on the bus or
subway or going to and from school. In fact, two of the four murder suspects
attended Fender High School where honor student Derrion
Albert, 16, was brutally and senselessly beaten to death.
And that’s what so chilling, so ominous, so scary for many. Derrion’s
killers look like the average African American males we see anywhere and everywhere.
So we can’t say “stay away from this type” or “don’t hang with that type” in this
case.
To be sure, there are people out there who reek with malicious intent. The moment you see them and gaze into their predatory eyes and discern that
all signs of humanity have been scrubbed away, you immediately look for an exit strategy or get ready to go into a defensive
posture. If killers would just make it easy and look overtly suspicious or dangerous, we could easily avoid them. But the boys like those that are
suspected of killing Derrion Albert don’t have ‘danger’ flashing off their
persona like neon signs. They look like ordinary boys on the block. One or more
of them may even resemble someone from your immediate or extended family.
This is why senior citizens bunker themselves in their
homes, incarcerated from the outdoors. This is why more people have some serious ‘heat’ stashed away in the house
– a finger on the trigger and fear in their hearts. This is why our
grandmothers and grandfathers cast wary glances at any young black male who
comes too close in proximity. This is why they look askance whenever they see young
black men enter a room or area, and they quickly try to inventory what the kids’ motives are before they even think to say ‘hello’.
Though they are suspected of being murderers, Derrion’s
killers don’t fit the physical mold for killers — and that’s what’s so frightening and frustrating for so
many. –terry shropshire
