{"id":215308,"date":"2026-03-11T19:43:15","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T19:43:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/215308\/"},"modified":"2026-03-11T19:43:15","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T19:43:15","slug":"carl-jones-soma-shooting-victim-was-loving-brother-and-dog-dad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/215308\/","title":{"rendered":"Carl Jones, SoMa shooting victim, was loving brother and dog dad"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Carl Jones, Jr., known as \u201cCJ\u201d, walked through life with a ready joke and a smile on his face, according to those who knew him. In the early hours of March 3, he was fatally shot<\/a> on the 100 block of Sixth Street in the South of Market neighborhood.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jones, 43, died in the hospital shortly after. He left behind his younger sister Amelia, older siblings Monique and Michael, and a beloved dog. Another sister, Jacqueline, died two years earlier. Eight hours later, police arrested suspect Siaosi Aleamotuay, 33. Any potential motive remains unclear.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHe had love for everyone around him,\u201d said Amelia of her older brother. \u201cHe was the heart of our family.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Born Oct. 30, 1982, Jones grew up in San Francisco\u2019s Fillmore neighborhood alongside his siblings. Their early life was not easy. The family sometimes went without food or stable housing and relied on meals and shelter at Glide Memorial Church. \u201cWe used to have to beg for food,\u201d Amelia said.<\/p>\n

Despite those challenges, Jones stood out early for his intelligence. In school he earned a 4.0 grade point average and was an exceptional student in reading and English. Amelia said Carl had the ability to attend almost any college he wanted, and toured several historically Black colleges and universities.<\/p>\n

But life got in the way. Jones lost his parents before he could figure out his future. His father died when he was just 16, and he lost his mother at age 18.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"TwoCarl Jones and his sister. Photo courtesy of Amelia Jones. \"AA memorial for Carl Jones. Photo courtesy of Amelia Jones. \"ACarl Jones. Photo courtesy of Amelia Jones.<\/p>\n

As a teenager, Jones spent time in the foster care system and ended up living in Edgewood, a group home in the Ingleside neighborhood. He came of age in the system and sometimes ran with the wrong crowd, Amelia said. But it didn\u2019t harden him.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHe never lost his big heart,\u201d she said. \u201cHe was always loving. He always had a smile on his face. He would give you advice, and it would always be supportive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jones enjoyed fixing and working on bicycles, listening to music, writing rap songs and collecting shoes. \u201cHe thought he was the flyest person in the world,\u201d Amelia said.<\/p>\n

He lived at the Henry Hotel on Sixth Street with his light brown, curly-haired dog, Teddy Graham, whose name carries on a family tradition of sweet nicknames. Their mother went by Cookie and Amelia named her own dog Gingerbread Jones.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Charles Toyner, a neighbor, was walking up Sixth Street on March 3 when he heard two shots fired. Toyner ducked behind a pole and watched Jones\u2019 dog, \u201cTeddy G,\u201d run across the street \u201cwhining and crying.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Toyner grabbed Teddy G, told police on the scene that he would take care of the dog, and did not let go until 12 hours later when he reached the Gubbio Project, a community organization in the Mission.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jones, it turned out, had been a client at the Gubbio Project. Terry Morris, an outreach worker who knew him, remembered his \u201cbright eyes\u201d and \u201cdown-to-earth\u201d energy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He was, Morris said, \u201ca presence\u201d: humorous, generous, always receptive to engaging with people on the street. And he treated Teddy G like a member of the family, making sure the \u201cdog ate before he ate.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Small,Carl Jones\u2019 beloved dog, Teddy Graham, on March 5, 2026. Photo by Abigail V\u00e2n Neely.<\/p>\n

Rio Amor, a drug overdose educator and substance abuse specialist at the nonprofit, set out to help Toyner find Teddy G\u2019s next of kin. In the meantime, people who knew or met Teddy G began offering to adopt him, Amor said \u2013 including Amor\u2019s own abuela. The dog is well-groomed and good-natured; when you sit, he sits. It was clear, Amor said, that Jones had done \u201ceverything they could to take care of this dog.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amor finally got in contact with Amelia \u2014 now living in San Jose \u2014\u00a0 the following day. She and Jones\u2019 other relatives piled into a car to San Francisco to take Teddy G home.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Though she is two years younger, Amelia still called Jones \u201cmy little big brother\u201d for the loving way he protected her and encouraged her. \u201cHe always wanted the best for his siblings,\u201d she said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just shocked that anyone could take him from us like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

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