JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The father of Kamiyah Mobley, a baby whose kidnapping from a Jacksonville hospital right after birth in 1998 made national headlines, said his family is facing another tragedy.
Although Kamiyah was returned to them 18 years later, Craig Aiken said they can’t expect another miracle this time.
He said his youngest son, 20-year-old Craivon Aiken, was killed Wednesday in a double shooting in Arlington.
The double shooting was reported around 6:30 a.m. Wednesday at The Square at 59 Caroline Apartments, an apartment complex on Fort Caroline Road in the University Park area. A 17-year-old Ribault High School student is facing multiple charges -- including car theft and possession of a firearm by a juvenile delinquent. -- in connection with the shooting, but he has not been charged with the homicides.
Police said a witness inside the apartment called 911, and Aiken said when police arrived they found Craivon and another man dead.
Aiken said since he found out Wednesday that his son was killed, the days have been cloudy and he’s had a hard time dealing with reality. He said it’s hard knowing that one of his children is no longer with him, especially since just six years ago, he was reunited with Kamiyah, who had been missing for 18 years.
“I got a call from his kids’ mother, and she was just crying and screaming and told me they killed Craivon,” Aiken said. “I don’t even know how to describe the feeling you feel. You just hurt. It just takes a part of you to lose one of your kids.”
Aiken said Craivon was the youngest of eight children and leaves behind two of his own.
“I raised him well, you know, I did everything I could for him. He graduated. I never missed a holiday, a birthday,” Aiken said. “I felt like there was something else I could have given him to survive out there.”
Aiken said although Craivon was younger than Kamiyah, once the family was reunited with her, he treated her like a little sister.
Aiken said he and his family will be gathering Saturday for a vigil from 4-6 p.m. to remember his son.
He also said he wants to help make sure something like this doesn’t happen to other families.
Police have said the motive for the shooting is unclear, but it’s early in the investigation.