Rest in peace

Just a week ago, no one could have anticipated that an almost random act of violence would lead to a chain of events leaving a young Youngstown police officer dead and his family and community in grief.
Based on what police now know, what started as a barroom argument escalated into a shooting outside the bar in which a man was wounded and, two hours later, into the cold-blooded killing of Police Officer Michael Hartzell, 26.
Yesterday, Officer Hartzell was laid to rest in a ceremony both impressive for the pomp that accompanies the final tribute to a fallen policeman and touching for the heartfelt expressions of loss that accompanied the burial of a fine young man.
Today, on a day that is traditionally one of rest and prayer, the prayers of thousands throughout the area remain with the Hartzell family.