The first sentence causes suspense and apprehension in the book. This creates a strong impact on the reader and makes him feel curious throughout the story that will follow from that sentence.
Brent Staples uses the word "victim" to convey the feeling that a crime has happened, a murder, something that is harmful to someone, in different ways. Thus, the first time that, as readers, we see these words, we conclude that Brent has harmed someone, however, as we continue reading the essay we realize that Brent himself is the real victim because he who suffers losses and adverse situations because of racism with black people.