In the early hours of December 26, 2020, the quiet of a neighborhood in Flint was violently broken. Nearly 100 bullets tore through a family home in a targeted drive-by shooting, ending the lives of Belinda Hart, 45, and her 10-month-old grandson, Romelo Jones Jr..

Belinda was a grandmother, a protector, and a steady presence in her family’s life. Romelo was just beginning his — a baby who should have known only warmth, safety, and love. Instead, both were taken where they should have been safest: inside their own home.

Investigators later confirmed the shooting was intentional, not random. Suspects, including Deandre Montrell Arrington and Mhontrel Desean Moore, were arrested. Charges were filed. Courtrooms moved forward. But for the family left behind, justice offers no comfort that can fill the silence they now live with.

The community of Flint was left stunned — mourning a grandmother and a baby whose lives were stolen in seconds. Candles burned. Prayers were whispered. Anger and heartbreak hung heavy in the air.

Belinda and Romelo are remembered not for the violence that ended their lives, but for the love that surrounded them. Their deaths stand as a devastating reminder of the cost of gun violence — and of how quickly entire families can be changed forever.

Some wounds never heal.
Some names should never have to be remembered this way.