San Diego, California News Station - KFMB Channel 8 - cbs8.comSan Diego kids who have killed

San Diego kids who have killed

SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) - After a 10-year-old boy was charged with murder, accused of stabbing another child, the father of a young man killed by a 14-year-old is sharing his thoughts about youth violence with News 8.

Joshua Jenkins, Jarred Viktor and Tony Hicks are among San Diego's youngest killers. All were sentenced to prison, and some will be in for life. But Hicks already has a job waiting for him when he gets out from the most unlikely source.

Azim Khamisa is the father of the young man Hicks murdered in 1995. Tariq Khamisa was a 20-year-old SDSU student out delivering pizza when Hicks, who was 14 at the time, says an 18-year-old gave him a gun and told him to shoot. Hicks pleaded guilty and asked for Khamisa's forgiveness.

"I pray to God everyday Mr. Khamisa will forgive me for what I've done," Hicks said.

Not only did Khamisa forgive Hicks, he joined forces with Hicks' grandfather to start the Tariq Khamisa Foundation to teach non-violence to local kids.

Together, the two men have spread their message to more than 400,000 students. Their story has been profiled in the DVD "From Murder to Forgiveness," where Hicks talks about prison life being tough, but knowing he is paying the consequences of murder.

"I'm in here for taking a man's life, and he'll never be able to do anything," he says on the DVD.

Khamisa says he and Hicks, now 31, write to each other about once a month, and he speaks about Hicks like a proud father.

"He's studying, reads five books a month, passed his GED, doing college courses. He's also nice writing poetry and he's a very articulate writer," Khamisa said.

But each time Khamisa hears of another child dying at the hands of a child, he wishes his foundation could do more.

"It breaks your heart. And I don't think it has to be your son who dies. I think when a child dies at 12, I think we're all diminished," he said.