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I knew him as "Booshi". In the early morning of June 18, 2008 "Booshi" or Joseph Sodd III was violently murdered in the Cedar-Riverside area of Minneapolis.

His Mom and Dad, Liz and Joe, are old friends of mine. And Booshi was their first-born. Joe and Liz were one of the first of my friends to have a child, so this boy was something special to us. Over the years I moved out of town and lost touch with Joe and Liz, Booshi and their second child, Alden. But in 2004, there was a reunion of sorts and I was reacquainted with Joe and Liz. They could not stop talking about the now-high school student, Booshi and what a fantastic performer he was becoming. He was a dancer! Imagine that. Where did that gene come from? And how refreshing to encounter parents who actually relished the fact that their son was an artist. They loved that boy. And oh, were they proud of him.

No one should lose a child to such violence. His case remains unsolved. A reward has recently been offered. Someone out there must know something about this crime. Please do the right thing for this extraordinary young man and his family. Call Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or the Minneapolis police at 1-800-692-TIPS