DECEMBER

LAPD Officer Brian Brown was a single parent, raising his son, Dylon, until he was fatally shot by a gang member while on duty. Four days later, Dylon, a bright second-grader who loves to read and play Nintendo, stood on a stage at Parker Center police headquarters and met the press. The boy told the throng of media that he loved his father and would miss him. He closed his eyes for a second, his chin and lips trembling, as he listened to Mayor Richard Riordan. Riordan told Dylon that all of Los Angeles would remember his father and that no one could explain why he died. “Dylon, all of Los Angeles is proud of your dad,” the mayor said. Dylon sighed deeply, and for days afterward so did everyone who saw this photograph.