At one point, he caused immeasurable terror to both those inside and outside of the Wachovia bank. The television clip of him emerging from the bank, appearing to hold a weapon to a woman's head told the story - or at least, part of the story.

But at one point, in his life, Devon Mitchell, the 19-year-old who held seven people hostage in that Cary bank, was once a baby boy. A baby boy who was (hopefully) cuddled and cooed over. Whose developmental milestones were praised with kisses.

At one point, a loved one sat Devon on his knee and read a book while pointing out pictures and the sounds the words made.

At one point, little Devon started school, probably both eager and a little apprehensive about this whole structured education thing. He continued to grow and learn, just like our own kids.

But at some point, things changed.

While the cause is not completely clear, mental illness is a possible factor.

For the victims, their families and friends, for the police and everyone involved in this tragedy, the reasons why Devon went into that bank, thereby providing several lifetimes of nightmares, is probably not important.

Don't go and make Devon a victim, some people say. Or maybe it was the fault of friends and family who didn't recognize or do enough to help a troubled youth, others say. Maybe it's that part of town - too close to Durham, they snicker. Or, thinly veiled - it's because he's one of THEM - and you know how THEY are.

But despite the tragedy that he undoubtedly caused, I can't help but think about the little boy he once was. When did that innocence disappear? When did a lifetime of promise start down a dark path?

When our children are little, we often assume that with attentive parenting, we can steer our children into healthy, happy and productive adulthood. But sometimes, nothing goes as planned. As a parent of three African-American teenage boys, I know how hard my husband and I have worked to help our boys grow up to be good men. But I also know that forces beyond our control - influential friends, drugs, immature decisions or mental illness - could derail our carefully made plans.

So, while the victims in the bank robbery have my utmost sympathy, and the ultimate responsibility for this lies with Devon, as a mother I still spare a thought and a prayer to Devon and the innocent baby boy he once was.