Kristian Hamilton-Arthur had big dreams. And his mother said her son had the drive to be successful.
“He wanted to be a millionaire,” Crystal Arthur said. “His thing was he didn’t want to work for anybody. He wanted to be his own boss. He was determined.”
Kristian was born July 21, 1988 in Philadelphia. He grew up in the Graduate Hospital neighborhood and graduated from South Philadelphia High School.
He got a job with the U.S. Postal Service, where Crystal worked at the time. (She is now retired.) After a short time, he decided he was ready to take the next step.
“He said, ‘I need to become a supervisor,’” Crystal said. She explained the process and guided him to the documents he needed to complete. He passed the exam and interviews and landed a supervisor role at age 20.
But Kristian’s real goal was to go into business for himself. After about a year, he quit his postal service job after and enrolled at Temple University’s real estate program while working in the environmental services department at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Last summer, he was in the process of getting his real estate broker’s license. In mid-July, Kristian shared some good news with Crystal. He spoke to a man in the neighborhood who owns a brokerage firm and said he’d take Kristian under his wing.
“I haven’t seen him that happy in so long,” she said. “He was laughing and joking. He said, ‘Finally I got my big break and I gotta go for it.’”
But his big dreams went unfulfilled. On July 15, 2017, Kristian went to Dorney Park with some friends. When they returned, he and three others were shot at 21st and Fitzwater. Kristian died in the early morning hours of July 16.
“I miss my son so much,” Crystal said. “I call him my love child. I love everything about him. In my eyes, he’s perfect.”
Kristian was also well-loved in his neighborhood and among his friends. Younger guys saw him as a role model, and he was always available to support or mentor anyone who needed it, either financially or with advice. People trusted his opinion.
His great aunt, Barnita Huzzy, said, “The one thing that he always wanted was for everyone to win. He was always a team player. He always wanted to make sure that everyone got their fair share. He wasn’t a selfish person. He was a protector.”
He had what Crystal calls an unbreakable bond with his 12-year-old niece, Cayla. On Friday evenings, they’d have “date nights” and go to Dave and Buster’s, Sky Zone, the movies, or whatever she wanted to do.
Not only was Barnita his great aunt, she was also his godmother, and they had a special connection.
“He would still come and jump in my lap and smother me with kisses,” she said with a laugh. “In fact, he did that with everybody — his grandma, his mom and his sister. He just loved us all. We loved him, too.”
No arrests have been made in Kristian’s case. Anyone with information is asked to call 215-686-TIPS. Callers can be anonymous.
