Homicide 37: Seeking justice for Lance  Follow on Twitter on
July 26, 2008 at 11:42 PM, updated July 27, 2008 at 7:35 PM
Part 1 of an 8-part series: A deathly silence  The boy, fresh-
faced with no stubble, lies in the gutter, his white shirt
soaked in blood and rain. One shoulder rests on the sidewalk,
the other on Frenchmen Street.  A fluorescent glow from a corner
store awning stops just short of the 37th homicide victim of the
year, shot dead in the 7th Ward, one of New Orleans' most
violent neighborhoods.  Police Detective Anthony Pardo had left
work hours earlier, anxiety gnawing at his gut, not knowing
where the next body would drop. He just knew he'd have to be
there immediately.  Pardo's name sat at the top of the homicide
division's Up List, meaning he would take charge of the next
victim, from curbside to courthouse. When the inevitable call
crackled over the radio -- signal 30, a homicide -- Pardo and
his partner, Harold Wischan, dropped half-eaten dinners and
family conversations. They donned fre