How I walk the fine line between reporting responsibly and trying to be compassionate to grieving families

Tharea Johnson, Pierre Johnson’s mother, joins family, friends, and community members for a balloon release for Pierre, who was killed in a mass shooting in the Fuller Park neighborhood June 7. (Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Time)

I sat on a bench near the entrance inside the McCullough Funeral Home rereading my list of questions as I anxiously awaited the arrival of Tharea Johnson. 

Pierre Johnson, her 14-year-old son, was killed in a mass shooting June 1 across the street from their home in Fuller Park.