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SEVERAL WEEKS AGO, a carjacked vehicle spun out of control and struck Keisha Williams, three of her children and a family friend. They were selling fruit on a North Philly corner to help their church turn a vacant lot into a playground.

Funeral services were held for 10-year-old Thomas Reed, who died at the scene, along with his sibings, 15-year-old Keiearra Williams and 7-year-old Terrence Moore, who both died later at area hospitals.

On Aug. 7, the tragedy continued when Keisha Williams, at just 34, joined her children in death.

Doctors will say Williams succumbed to the injuries she sustained when a carjacked Toyota SUV jumped the curb and hurtled into the family. I can’t help wondering if the grief of losing three of her five children sapped her will to live.

As a parent, it breaks my heart to know that a mother was helpless to stop the speeding vehicle that took her childrens’ lives. I take comfort only in the fact that Keisha Williams and her children are now at peace.

As for the rest of us, there can be no peace.

Not until we’ve done everything possible to keep such tragedies from ever repeating in our streets. We must do so by recognizing that some crimes are so heinous, so reprehensible, so utterly unfathomable, that communities must stop them before they begin.

Click here to read the rest of this column at Newsworks.

Photo by Tieshka Smith

Solomon Jones is an Essence bestselling author and award-winning columnist. He is the creator and editor of Solomonjones.com. Click here to learn more about Solomon