JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Months after a Jacksonville man was shot and killed in the back parking lot of a Jacksonville drive-thru, his mother says she’s not giving up hope an arrest will be made.
“We are keeping our faith that the murderer will be brought to justice,” said Monique Jones, who spoke with News4Jax inside the church where her son grew up -- United Missionary Baptist Church.
Jones’ 21-year-old son, Anthony Graham III, was killed near the Checkers off Kings Road in September. Investigators said he and another man tried to drive away but crashed into a tree in the parking lot.
The other man who was in the car, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said, was also shot but survived. The family identified the man as Graham’s half-brother, but said it’s unclear where he is.
The family said it’s offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest in the murder of their loved one.
Graham would have turned 22 last week.
His 10-year-old sister, Amani, wrote a poem for her brother.
“I miss you, I cry when you passed away. I still cry today. Although I loved you dearly, I couldn’t make you stay. Your golden heart stopped beating, hard working hands at rest. God broke my heart to prove to me, he only takes the best,” Amani read aloud.
Jones said she will never forget the phone call from police, saying her son had been killed.
“It was the worst day of my life,” Jones said. “If you’ve never lost a child, no one would understand the pain and hurt that we feel as a family and as a mother.”
To this day, no arrests have been announced and no suspects have been named.
“I miss talking to him everyday, hearing his voice and seeing his smile,” Jones said.
Jones says she won’t rest until whoever took her son’s smile is behind bars.
“Anthony was a smart young man. He was very handsome. He loved to dress and he was a good person,” Jones said. “You took a lot away from this family and from me as a mother when you killed him.”