Family of 14-year-old killed on New Year’s Day remembers him as ‘shining light’

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The 14-year-old killed one day into the New Year is someone his grandmother said she will always cherish.

Micah Thomas was shot and killed in the Sherwood Forest neighborhood on New Year’s Day, marking the first homicide of the year, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.

“My heart would drop every time I seen him,” Thomas’ grandmother, Nina Smith said.

Smith remembered the times when Thomas would ask her to pull out her phone and start recording. Those were the moments she said she enjoyed the most.

Smith described her grandson as a “shining light” in their family.

“He was able to pull us together. He would make his point to make sure his sisters and brothers were always with him,” she said.

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Thomas’ step-grandmother Catherine Fleming said he enjoyed riding dirt bikes and breeding Belgian Malinois dogs.

“He loved animals, all breeds,” Fleming said,

Thomas’ family hopes the community learns from his story and calls for the senseless violence to end.

“The killing has got to stop because it not only affects the person that’s killed, it affects the community, the family, and everyone else for years to come,” Fleming said.

His family started GoFundMe to support Thomas’ burial expenses.

So far, police have not announced any arrests.

If you have any information about his case, call 904-630-0500 or Crime Stoppers at 866-845-TIPS.