Sad, but proud: Law enforcement, leaders proved we are one community, first.

We are sad today.

Violence has not only touched our community, it has claimed the life of a young man with much more life to live.

We cannot imagine the pain his family feels today. They are in our thoughts.

And we are thinking, too, of Dr. Kay Albertson and her staff and the students at Wayne Community College.

Having something like this happen in your college, on your campus, to one of your colleagues, changes you, forever.

Our hearts are with them, too.

But even as we mourn and search for meaning in the midst of this tragedy, we should also pause for a moment to feel another emotion.

Proud.

The men and women of the Goldsboro Police Department and the Wayne County Sheriff's Office as well as the college police and law enforcement officers from around the area did more than just respond to a call Monday.

They kept their community safe -- without thought of who would get the credit, who would be in charge or who had jurisdiction.

They had a job to do -- keep more people from being hurt -- and they did it like champions, all of them.

This could have been a lot worse. There could be many more people who lost their lives.

But that did not happen.

Part of that is divine providence.

But the rest is that this community -- every leader, every public official, every law enforcement officer and every college, school and government employee had one focus -- protecting the students, the staff and their neighbors.

As much as we would like to describe it in full detail, we can only tell you that this was an astonishing show of unity of purpose and management of a difficult situation with class and professionalism.

And it should make every member of this community feel safer.

So we take a moment today to thank those who mobilized on campus and those who did the heavy lifting as the search began for the shooter.

There was not a moment of a thought for themselves -- of what danger they might be facing -- and it showed.

Dr. Albertson is right, it is a sad day, and an emotional one.

Wayne Community College will never be the same -- and neither will the community that supports it.

There was not one person who did not have some stake in what happened Monday, who did not know someone who might have been in danger or who could have been in danger.

No one will forget those anxious hours -- or the man who lost his life.

And that is how it should be.

But Dr. Albertson is right about something else, too.

She has every right to be proud of the men and women she works with every day and the students who are the heartbeat of her campus.

They proved Monday that they are exactly what we knew they were -- heroes.

We, and they, will recover from this. And while we might never be able to explain what happened, or why, we will move forward.

But as we do, we need to be thankful for one very important re-affirmation -- that in this community, we really are one for all.

Monday proved that.

Published in Editorials on April 14, 2015 11:17 AM