PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — A young man with a bright future has been shot dead in South Philadelphia. Five years later, his murder remains unsolved, but his mother hopes someone will speak up and lead the police to his son’s killer.
Soon old friends came to greet Crystal Arthur. Rumors quickly spread that she was here to chat with us about her late son Christian Hamilton Arthur. The young man is fondly remembered.
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According to his mother, his talents in real estate and business live on through his friends.
Spent a few hours here getting to know Chris.
“His body isn’t here, but his spirit is still around,” Crystal said.
It was July 15th, 2017.
Christian was shot near Fitzwater on the 22nd in South Philadelphia.
Christa was nearby.
“When I got here, I found out that four people had been shot. I picked up the phone to call him, and it was the man who went to the hospital with him, and he said, ‘I have to go to Jefferson.’ ‘ he said.
Christian died the next day.
“After I got to the hospital, they tried to save him,” Crystal said. There were no signs of life. That was it.
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Crystal says she’ll be fine most of the time, but Christian’s reminders are easy to find.
“It could be a scent, it could be a song, it could be just a person,” Crystal said. “Or whatever can be triggered, those are the triggers that can go to the bottom from here.”
Crystal says her son loved the block so much that she struggled to come here for a long time. She says it’s very tragic that he was shot here.
“He loved this block,” she said. “His address was not physically on this block, but he was part of this block. We grew up in that store and the neighborhood became our family.”
Crystal can walk on this block again. She believes in what she calls spiritual justice.
“I know we’ll see him again in the afterlife,” Crystal said.
What she can’t get over is knowing that there are people out there who have information about the few people involved in her son’s murder.
“What pisses me off is that I know who killed my son and they won’t say anything,” Crystal said. “They don’t want to get involved in it. And I get that part, but don’t say, ‘I hope one day they find out who killed your son.'” Yeah it bothers me. It bothers me a lot. “
If you have information regarding the shooting of Christian Hamilton Arthur, please contact the Philadelphia Police Department at 215-686-TIPS. There are rewards.
A mom leaves us with the word rest in peace believing her son continues to inspire and influence those he loves.
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“I love that you do it for real,” said Crystal. “Understood. Understood.”