For the past few weeks, Vicksburg has been trending on Twitter, Facebook and other digital and social media sites for all the wrong reasons.

The manhunt for jail escapee Rafael McCloud and the two suspects captured in New Mexico for their involvement in a possible shooting of a Vicksburg man and stealing his car are stories that have been topics and stories that have gripped not only those of us who live in Vicksburg and Warren County, but also the nation.

The shares and overall reach of those stories about McCloud’s escape and ultimate death reached tens of thousands. Thursday, when a Vicksburg family faced terror head on, and then ultimately shot and killed McCloud, the story of McCloud’s death was viewed more than 150,000 times on vicksburgpost.com.

The story was the front story Friday on CNN.com and was featured by The Washington Post and New York Daily News — all massive national media outlets.

The arrests of two suspects in New Mexico, possibly tied to the shooting of Joe Thomas and then reportedly taking his car, have also been shared and viewed by thousands.

Bad news happens. It happens in every community, which does not lend me or others to think the worst of Vicksburg. Quite the contrary.

The love and support that I know of that has been shown to the family held hostage by McCloud is a better indicator of Vicksburg’s true personality.

Do we have crime? Yes.

Is there room for improvement? Yes.

It might be cliché to say, but what binds us together is far greater than those things that work to tear us apart.

Rafael McCloud was a troubled soul. He had a history of violence and was positioned to face justice on our criminal justice system. But, his decisions, his path, led him to his death.

The two individuals who are connected to the car theft and shooting will also face justice. Our faith in our leaders, our courts, must be steadfast for it is what our society is built upon.

There are far greater stories about Vicksburg than the recent violence. Our community is far stronger than what those detractors might say or think about us.

Vicksburg was trending for all the wrong reasons last week, but the story is yet to be told on just how we will turn this around. The story is yet to be told on how we will make good from tragedy and become stronger.

I am proud of Vicksburg and Warren County. I am blessed to call this community my home, and I am confident in raising my family here.

We must continue to love, continue to have faith and continue to share that love and faith with others. Then, we might see Vicksburg trend for all the right reasons.