Photo: TikTok
Police have a lead on two suspects.
By Nia Tipton — Written on Jun 28, 2022
TikTok star Ophelia Nichols pleaded with her seven million followers for help finding her son's killers after he was fatally shot a day before his 19th birthday.
In a heartbreaking video posted to her account on June 25, Nichols, who is known by many on the platform as "Mama Tot," confirmed that her 18-year-old son, Randon Lee, had been shot at a gas station in Prichard, Alabama the night before.
"I need your help with this. There's almost 7 million people that follow me. Somebody's gotta know something. Today would have been my baby child's 19th birthday. But he [was taken] from me last night. Took from my children and my husband and our family," she tearfully said in the video.
Nichols asked her followers to come forward if they had information regarding the suspects that killed her son.
"Somebody's gotta know something," she continued. "This individual took my son's life. And I know they're out there, in my town. They're out there. They're out there living and breathing but my son is dead."
Nichols then showed a photo of herself and Lee. "This is my son. Somebody knows who did this to my child, and I'm asking for somebody's help, anybody's," before adding that the police "have a lead on two individuals.
What happened to Mama Tot / Ophelia Nichols' son, Randon Lee?
According to police, Lee was selling marijuana when he was shot by one of the suspects inside his vehicle as he pulled up to a gas station on St. Stephens Road in Prichard.
Lee and the suspects had pulled their vehicles into the gas station on Friday night when one of the suspects entered Lee's car and shot him, Detective Jason Hadaway told reporters on June 27.
The suspects then got into their vehicle and fled the scene while an injured Lee drove to another gas station to get help.
Paramedics eventually arrived on the scene, where they attempted to treat Lee before he was pronounced dead.
“We do know at this time that Mr. Lee had made his way down to Wilmer and was selling narcotics to these two individuals,” Hadaway said, adding that officers found marijuana at the scene.
Suspects in Randon Lee's murder have not been officially named.
Hadaway continued, saying police officials "do have a couple of suspects in mind" but are not releasing any information about them to the public at this time.
One of the suspects, Hadaway said, had purchased drugs from Lee previously, but the recent incident had been the first time officers were aware that Lee was actively selling drugs in Prichard.
On Facebook, Nichols continued to seek out answers with the help of her followers, reiterating what she had said in her TikTok video.
"Someone else made the decision to end my son’s life,” she wrote. “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.”
In a follow-up video, Nichols expressed her shock over learning the reasons why her son was shot.
"They either tried to rob him, or did rob him, but he was shot," she said, adding that Lee had gone through a tumultuous period in his life after his father passed, though Nichols, and the rest of his family, had assumed he was "on the right track" again.
"He comes from good people and a good home. But sometimes, that just [doesn't] matter," Nichols continued. "That doesn't give anyone the right to shoot my son."
A GoFundMe campaign was started to help Nichols cover all funeral costs for Lee, as well as Nichols sharing her Cash App username on Facebook for anyone who wanted to send money directly to her.
Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics. Keep up with her on Instagram and Twitter.