Gone Too Soon

The death of a student - a child - is by definition a tragedy. Its mourning is also often times public as classmates, teachers, friends and neighbors gather. These photos are from vigils for two high school sophomores whose deaths took place about a year apart. In one case, less than five minutes after classes dismissed for Spring Break, the student was struck and killed while crossing the street in front of his school. The other case involved a promising basketball player, shot in an alley in a killing that remains unsolved. The shared expressions of grief in both - with candles, balloons, a few mementos of a young life lost, and awkward hugs and tears - serve as a poignant memorial to young people that are gone too soon.