Mother who is a ‘fierce advocate’ for her murdered son receives proclamation in his honor

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It’s been over 2,000 days since Latasha Hobbs lost her son, who was shot and killed in 2017.

Maurice Hobbs was fatally shot just days after his 18th birthday on Jan. 26, 2017. No arrests have been made in the case.

Latasha was on her way to pick him up.

“I made a right turn instead of going straight, and that’s when someone murdered my child. I never found my son, but being his mom, I felt something internal,” Hobbs said. “I knew something was wrong and it was. Reflecting back, I can now know. When I began to cry, this emptiness that I felt was my son taking his final breath.”

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Seven years after his death, his mother continues to advocate for her son. Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan signed a proclamation to make Jan. 24 Maurice Hobbs Day.

“I’ve been a fierce advocate for my son. I’ve stopped at nothing. I’ve never taken a break. Every day I fight for him, and I will for the rest of my life,” Hobbs said. “But for the first time, the Mayor of Jacksonville honored my son declaring his birthday, which is Jan. 24, Maurice Hobbs Day in the city of Jacksonville and that to me is beautiful.”

Latasha is a mother fighting to continue her son’s legacy and carry his “beautiful bright light.”

“It’s just so unbelievably painfully beautiful. I have worked so hard for him and Maurice is just a beautiful, beautiful bright light. He is gifted. Maurice is a musician and music artist, a singer, a poet, a rapper, just all things wonderful. It just means the world to me,” Hobbs said.