Randon Lee was the son of Alabama TikTok influencer Ophelia Nichols, who is otherwise known as “Mama Tot.”
Nichols’ page on TikTok is @shoelover99. The shooting occurred in Prichard, Alabama. Heavy has reached out to the Prichard Police Department there for additional details.
According to WKRG-TV, the death was a homicide. A GoFundMe page to help Nichols has raised more than $280,000.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Lee Was Shot at a Gas Station, Reports Say
According to Prichard police, they believe Lee was selling narcotics to two people at the time he was shot. There were drugs found in his car, police said in a news conference.
They said the suspect got into Lee’s vehicle at a gas station, and one shot rang out. The suspect got back into a black vehicle and took off.
Lee drove across the road to another gas station, where he died. The suspects fled. Police say they have suspects in mind but did not want to share additional details about them. They say there are multiple suspects. Police said that Lee was selling drugs in multiple towns, and the suspects had purchased drugs from him in the past.
They said he was selling marijuana, and it was the first time he had been to Prichard to sell drugs that they know of.
WKRG-TV reported that Lee died in “a homicide on Saint Stephens Road.”
Lee’s death occurred in a shooting that occurred around 7:45 p.m. on Friday, June 24, 2022, the television station reported. Further details were not released.
The suspect and motive were not clear. According to WKRN-TV, Nichols told the station that “her son was shot at a gas station before driving down the street to a different gas station, where he was later found dead.”
A flyer about the shooting says that Lee was shot at an Exxon gas station and drove across the street.
2. Nichols Pleaded for Information in a Video
@shoelover99 You will be found! You will reap what you sow in this world. You may not be caught now but its coming. I hope you see my sons face eveyday of your life
Nichols made a video plea for information.
“I ain’t never asked y’all for anything,” Nichols said, crying.
“But I need your help with this. There’s almost seven million people that follow me, somebody’s gotta know something.”
The video includes the text, “I will not stop until my sons murderer is found and prosecuted.” She added, “He was just 18 years old, that’s the best part of somebody’s life.”
Nichols is married and lives in Mobile, Alabama, according to her Facebook page.
3. Nichols Revealed, ‘My Son Was Taken From Us’
Nichols revealed that her son had died in a Facebook post. She wrote:
We are receiving an unbelievable amount of calls/text/messages regarding my baby child Randon. I don’t really have a choice other than to do this. I think of myself as this normal person who just loves on people but I forget that I have grown a family of almost 7 million via social media & I am grateful for you all. Thank you for the continued prayers for myself, my husband, my children and our family.
My son was taken from us last night by the hands of another individual at just 18 years old. He would be 19 today but Someone else made the decision to end my sons life. They are walking around in my town, living and breathing while my son is not. While me and my family are grieving a loss that no mother should ever have to feel, they are free.
I have been up all night with this unrecognizable feeling of hatred in my heart for the person who ended my sons life and I can’t promise that will ever go away. I know the days ahead are completely unknown but the only hope I have, is that this person is found and prosecuted for the murder of my son.….My son. 💔
4. Nichols Thanked the ‘Complete Strangers’ Who Came Together For Her
Nichols thanked well-wishers on her Facebook page, writing:
The amount of people, complete strangers who have came together for me and my family is unreal. Never in my life did I ever realize how loved, cherished and adored Me and my family were to so many. I shared my life, my family, my children, my everything with the world everyday. I shared my struggles, my hardships, my life story, my daily moments. I shared them to give others strength and hope in knowing that no matter what life drops on you, you keep going🥺.
You will get through your toughest moments. We don’t know why things like this happen and for the most part, we sometimes never know but I do know this, my son had my heart. My son would help anyone. He loved people and he loved his family. I know people are afraid that my love and joy will never return because of this pain but the truth is, it doesn’t leave me. I can’t change the good in me. I can’t turn myself into someone I am not. My heart is pure and although it is broken right now, with time and love, I will be mended back together.
I know that I will smile and I will feel normal again. I won’t be complete ever again but I will be able to find my joy in my life through my children, friends, family. We have so many people in our lives taken care of us. I want you all to know this, ALL of you are playing a huge part of our heeling. I can’t thank you enough for the unbelievable amount of love and support for us. Randon was really proud of me with what I have done with social media. He thought it was coolest thing and to see he now has #justiceforRandon all over the world is precious to me. I will do everything I can to keep my sons spirit and love alive. He will always be with me, always be beautiful and he will always be my baby child.
I can’t thank you enough. Every single one of you. The calls, messages, videos, tributes, donations, food, all of it. We thank you. 🥺❤️
5. Lee Was Nichols’ Youngest Child
According to The New York Post, Lee was Nichols’ youngest child. She has three children.
“I spoke to him yesterday morning around 10 to tell him I had his money for his birthday. He was looking forward to it… just hanging out with his friends and girlfriend. His family was his life,” Nichols said, according to Fox10tv.
“You see other people go through stuff like this and it never crosses your mind that — that would one day be you. But to have an individual make the choice to take your child from you — he had a choice — they had a choice and they chose to take my son from me.”
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