Rock Hill boy, 4, saw mother knocked out before he, brother were shot dead: Police
A 4-year-old Rock Hill boy killed Tuesday was shot in the head after his mother was knocked out by the convicted felon accused of killing the boy and his 19-year-old brother, officials said in court Saturday.
Jakolby Clifton, 4, died in a Frank Street home after his mother tried to stop Cedric Akeen Creighton from hitting Jakolby’s older brother, 19-year-old Jamareon Kimble, Rock Hill police Lt. Mike Johnson said in court. Creighton allegedly had grabbed a gun from a bedroom, Johnson said.
Creighton punched the boys’ mother in the face before Jakolby was shot in the back of the head, police said.
“The last image he (Jakolby) observed was his mother struck unconscious before he was shot and killed,” Johnson read from a statement prepared by detectives in the case.
Creighton and Kimble fired guns inside the house, then fired again outside the house after Kimble went out the back door and Creighton went out the front, Johnson said in court. Kimble died in the back yard after he was shot once in the chest, Johnson said.
Police found Creighton, wounded in the shootout, “collapsed” outside a house next door, according to Johnson.
Both guns were recovered, Johnson said.
Police did not say what the initial dispute was about.
Suspect in court from hospital by video
Creighton, 34, of Lancaster, is charged with two counts of murder, two weapons charges, and first-degree domestic violence. He remains hospitalized.
He appeared in Rock Hill Municipal Court Saturday morning by videoconference from a hospital. There were police at the hospital with him and court and police officials at the Rock Hill law center during the hearing.
The mother of the two boys killed was not in court but was able to listen to the hearing by a telephone provided by a victim advocate. She did not address the court.
Creighton, from a hospital bed, told Rock Hill City Judge Shantay Greer on the videoconference that he understood the charges against him that she had read during the hearing. He said he had been working at a McDonald’s restaurant before the incident.
He said he wanted to tell the boys’ mother: “I’m sorry.”
When Greer asked him if he was on probation or parole, Creighton said he was not. However, records and officials from the S.C. Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services and the S.C. Department of Corrections told The Herald this week that Creighton was on a “supervised re-entry program” after being released from prison in October after a 2024 domestic violence conviction.
That stretch was Creighton’s fourth prison term after previous convictions for other crimes including domestic violence and weapons dating back to 2013, according to state officials and records.
What happens next?
Creighton will be taken to jail when he is released from the hospital, officials said. It is unclear when that will be.
Greer approved Creighton for a public defender to serve as his defense lawyer. 16th Circuit Public Defender B.J. Barrowclough told The Herald Saturday his office will be prepared to defend the case, but declined further comment at this time.
Creighton’s next court appearance is scheduled for April.
The murder charges he faces each carry 30 years to life for a conviction. Convictions for the weapons charges each carry up to five years and the domestic violence carries up to 10 years.
A family member of the victims told The Herald Friday they did not want to make any statement on the case. Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.
The family started a GofundMe account for funeral and other expenses.
“Jamareon and Jakolby were sweet, innocent, and deeply loved boys who brought light and joy to everyone around them,” the fundraiser states. “Their absence has left a void in our hearts that can never be filled.”
As of Saturday, more than $7,000 had been raised.
