TikTok star Ophelia Nichols’ heartbreak as son Randon Lee is laid to rest a week after tragic shooting
TIKTOK star Ophelia Nichols’ has opened up in a heartbreaking new video after she laid her son to rest following a tragic shooting.
Randon Lee was shot dead in Prichard, Alabama, on June 24 just hours before what should’ve been his 19th birthday.
“Hey, it’s me, I’m just checkin’ in,” Nichols’ video begins.
“It was a beautiful day today and the service was just absolutely beautiful.
“Everybody was in real pretty color blues and everybody just really showed up.”
Nichols goes on to say that her childhood friends she hadn’t seen in years showed up for her son’s service.
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“The entire chapel was packed out,” she said.
“I know how much he was loved.
“He was such a good person and always made people laugh. I know he gets that from me.
“He was joyful and I was proud of him.
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“But I can’t thank y’all enough for the tributes that I’ve seen for my baby child, for somebody y’all don’t even know. And all the love and support.
“There is not enough thank you’s I could say to really show exactly how I feel and how you’ve made my family feel,” Nichols continued, saying she realized this week how special her fans and followers are to her.
“I don’t think I’m anything special, but I think I figured out this week I am — to you. And y’all are special to me, too.
“I promise I won’t let this bitter seed be planted inside of me to where it destroy the kind of heart that I have.
“All I can do is have my faith and know that God is gonna get my son justice, because my healing can really start the second somebody is behind bars.”
In the comments section of the video, Nichols wrote: “I have a voice that is heard all over the world. I will be using my voice & Randons for something huge to help others/parents/youth in my town.”
“I hope you all stand beside me as I find Randons purpose & work toward helping other family’s who all have went through things like this.”
A MOTHER’S HEARTBREAK
Randon Lee was shot at an Exxon gas station on June 24 around 7.45am in Prichard, Alabama.
He sustained wounds at one service station before driving down the street to another, where he was then found dead moments later.
Nichols, famed for spreading love and positivity online, issued a gut-wrenching plea to her more than seven million followers on TikTok, insisting through tears: “Somebody’s gotta know something.”
In an emotional video posted to TikTok, she said: “I have never asked y’all for anything, but I need your help with this.
“Today would have been my baby child’s 19th birthday, but he was taken from me last night.
“Took from my children, my husband, and our family. My son was murdered. He was shot,” Nichols, known online as Mama Tot, cried.
“And I have this hatred in my heart, that I don’t recognize. Because I’ve never felt hate for anybody. This individual took my son’s life.
“He was just 18 years old. That’s the best part of somebody’s life, and I know they’re out there in my town. They’re out there.
“They’re out there, living and breathing while my son is dead.”
‘HORRIBLE ACT’
The Mobile County Sheriff’s Office confirmed officers are pursuing “multiple suspects” in the case but are refusing to release any further information at this time, citing an ongoing investigation.
Tiffany Polzin, a friend of Nichols’ from Michigan, called Randon’s death a “horrible act” in an interview with The US Sun that has left the family with so many questions – and very few answers.
“Ophelia has lost her – as she calls him – ‘baby child’ who was going to be 19,” said Polzin, who struck up an online friendship with Nichols a few years ago.
“He didn’t even get to live anywhere near his full life at all.
“His killer is – and I hate to use this term – still at large, but we don’t know who it is, we don’t know why they did this; there’s nothing that Ophelia and her family have answers for at the moment.
“Everything remains a mystery,” she added.
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“It’s horrible for anyone to lose a child, but Ophelia is a woman who gives herself to others so selflessly, with empathy and sympathy to those around her.
“How could somebody do this to her and her family? … she does so much for everyone else, and she absolutely loves and adores her family so much.”