On Friday morning, a relative found Hill slumped against a fence, lying in a pool of blood. He had been shot. The scooter he used to get around town – a retirement present he bought himself, according to the church deacon – was gone.
Friends, family and church members stood across the street, consoling one another and praying as city fire fighters washed the blood down the drain. The red-stained water washed along the sidewalk he helped clear of debris, and down the alley he traversed to get to the ramshackle porch leading to his second-floor apartment in the 1200 block of E. North Ave. above the Ark Church bookstore.
"People are really gonna miss him," 82-year-old Reginald Trusty said. "I can't say it enough how much he'll be missed."
It's been a long week in the city, with eight slayings recorded through Friday morning. The stabbing death of a Johns Hopkins researcher in a robbery Sunday captured the city's attention, while two people were killed in nearby Station North. Police are investigating whether the second victim was targeted because he witnessed the first killing there. A 19-year-old was killed during a fight between two groups of men in Northeast Baltimore, and police say they have yet to reach next of kin for victims in Southwest Baltimore and a man found dead in a vehicle in East Baltimore.
Because Hill's scooter and the keys to it were taken, police believe the motive may have been robbery. But no one could understand why anyone would take his life too.
Family members gathered at the scene said they were too distraught to talk, and church members said they didn't know much about his background other than that he may have worked at a church in Northeast Baltimore, which he biked to until he purchased the scooter.
Here's what they did know: whenever they needed a hand, they could count on Milton.
"When we needed a good back, it was 'Get Milton,'" said Bishop Darnal Johnson, the Ark Church's executive pastor. "'It's late and people are going to their cars, get Milton.'"
John Eden, chairman of the deacon ministry, said Hill's efforts didn't seem particularly motivated by spirituality, though he did attend services during the week. He recalled that Hill had a mammoth appetite, but stayed thin. He didn't ask for compensation for helping around the church, just a bite to eat from the pantry on occasion.
Eden said he and Hill often spent time together, leaning against the church fence and chatting.
"I'm gonna miss my buddy," Eden said, watching the water wash over the pavement.