East metro here, I only knew the boys were black from common sense and then from seeing their hands on tv when their faces couldnt be shown due to their ages. I havent heard any announcer say they were black.
This article as you said severely understates the severity of the crime and the savage beating this old man received with a large rock. He lingers in a semi twilight state between life and death while his attackers cry and whine about how innocent they are and their mama’s. aunties, grandmamas, etc all whine as well.
BTW, once again there is no hate crime here, clearly no hate involved.......
I particularly like some of the comments
peachesOct 1 MY PRAYS ARE WITH YU MRS. RENNEE I KNOW HE AINT DO IT EITHER I ♥ YALL ILL KEEP ALL OF YALL IN PRAYERS AND OD WILL MAKE A WAY
and this gem
Regina RobinsonOct 1 First of all it shouldn't matter if he was a war veteran or not, would it had been ok if he was a homeless man on the street. Secondly an 11 year old can't stop a 15 year old. Thirdly unless you were the picture perfect kid I know you did something that your parents did not approve of, and hung around some people they did not like. An 11 year old boy should not be treated as a teenager. 
I wonder if she'd be as tolerant if a couple of white boys beat a black man nearly to death.