KANSAS CITY, Mo. — "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference," Christine Anderson recited.
She was reading the Serenity Prayer, prominently hung on the wall of her living room. On her hardest days, she repeats those words to herself. It's a prayer she learned with her 9-year-old son, Dominic "DJ" Young, Jr.
"He was a child of God. I know that for a fact," Anderson said.
Serenity has been hard for Anderson to find since January 20. On that Saturday night, DJ was riding in his father's car, heading home from a day of fun at a skating rink. His dad told police they were caught in the middle of a gunfight at 71 Highway and Cleaver Blvd. He didn't realize his third-grade son had been hit. DJ later died at the hospital.
This week marked five months since that tragic night.
"One hundred and fifty days of not knowing anything," Anderson said.
The anger and pain is now turning into action. DJ's 12-year-old sister E'Myne Anderson is starting a new group called Kids Against Violence (KAV). She wants to raise money for scholarships and plan sporting events for children in Kansas City. Her brother always wanted to be a football star.
"This is not easy to deal with, but I am so proud of her. Her testimony is going to make a difference in someone's life, and so is mine," Anderson said.
Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers is offering a reward for any information that leads to an arrest in Young's death. If you know anything, call 816-474-TIPS.
—
