Carlos the Seven-Year-Old Hero

Finally, a feel good story after a couple of weeks of covering tragedy. Our story today could have been another bad, bad situation had seven year old Carlos not been so brave, hiding in the bathroom and calling 911 during a home invasion robbery.

First, click on the link below and watch the story. Pictures speak louder than words in this case.

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Watch the video here.

Cool kid, huh?

Impressive, right from the start. He walked into the room packed full of media with only the slightest look of nerves. After meeting the dispatcher who'd walked him through the call, the deputy picked him up and put him on a chair to reach the microphones. While the deputy was introducing him, I noticed the boy's mouth moving. What the heck? I thought. So I looked closer. He was silently counting the cameras, "...thirteen, fourteen, fifteen..." and there were a lot of cameras, as you can see.

Carlos worked the crowd. He had us laughing and smiling. He engaged us with his eyes, looking directly at those who asked the questions, scanning the room and the cameras. So often kids--even ones who want to be on TV "more than anything in the world!"--get nervous once the big camera is pointed their way and totally clam up. Not Carlos. What a kid!

Feeling good at the end of the day is all too rare in the news biz, but thanks to Carlos and his last, "that was my sister!" (referring to the screaming heard at the end of the 911 tape) he had me not just feeling good, but grinning like a fool.

Thanks, Carlos, for making it a swell day!

A tough assignment

As a photojournalist, you get tossed into the heart of a lot of very difficult situations. All this week, I've been covering the case of missing seventeen-year-old Chelsea King.

Thursday, she went for a run at a Rancho San Bernardo park on a jogging trail that encircles Lake Hodges, and disappeared. Her car was left in the parking lot with her cell phone and bag. When she didn't come home, her dad went looking for her and found her car. Sunday, police arrested John Gardner, a registered sex offender, after finding an article of Chelsea's clothes with his DNA on it. This isn't the first time for Gardner. The guy shouldn't be free to stalk young women. Our system is seriously broken.

I have a tough time with assignments like this, one, because it's obviously emotionally tough, but two, because I'm not fond of putting a camera in people's faces when they're grieving. Late in the day, they found Chelsea's body, but even so, her parents showed up at the planned vigil to thank the thousands of people who had helped search for her. The media, of course, swarmed them. Me included. I'm never proud of that moment. I think it's vile. My reporter justified it this way: the family has been very open with the media from the beginning. They knew media would be at this event. For them, it was expected, and a way to get their message out to all watching. And she had a point.

We lead such a weird life. I looked behind me last night, and for as far as I could see, reporters and cameras lined the yellow tape doing hits for the six o'clock news. What is it about human beings that we need to hear news like this? I'm not suggesting we live in a bubble, and yes, by getting news like this out there perhaps laws will be changed regarding sex offenders like John Gardner, but... I don't know. The energy behind the story disturbed me a bit. Our piece last night was lovely. Candlelight makes for very pretty pictures, especially on the emotional faces of the attendees. But the guilt part of me kicked in, as it always does. Is it right to exploit grief?

Or are we simply honoring the life of a loved and respected young lady? Some family's shun the media during these situations, others open themselves up. I don't quite understand the motivation, and I suppose, should accept that it is their choice. I'm a private mourner. I don't like for even those close to me to know when I'm hurt, so I guess I can't relate, and that's why I get agitated by our invasion of a griever's privacy. But maybe for some it provides  comfort to know the world will learn a little bit more about their loved one.

Today we head to court for John Gardner's arraignment. With her body found, they will be able to charge him with rape and murder. I hope the man never sees the light of day again. 

And now... it's time to go.