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Seattle Times reports new details in shooting death of 16-year-old — Rico, a Southern California kid who ran away to CHOP

Antonio Mays, Jr. — his friends called him Rico (Image: Bandlab)

The Seattle Times has a new report detailing the deadly shooting at the CHOP camp early in the morning of Monday, June 29th that left 16-year-old Antonio Mays, Jr. dead in a bullet-riddled jeep and sent a 14-year-old boy riding with him to the hospital.

The report includes new details even as the Seattle Police Department has said little about the morning’s gun violence, suspect information and what led to the shooting, and its slow response. Seattle police detectives didn’t arrive at the 12th Ave scene of the 3 AM shooting until nearly five hours later, the Times reports.

“The shooting killed 16-year-old Antonio Mays Jr., left a 14-year-old boy in serious condition with gunshot wounds and effectively ended the city’s waning tolerance toward the protest zone known as CHOP,” it reads.

The new Seattle Times report also connects together some elements reported only by CHS in the first hours of the incident including our details of a man who suffered a pickaxe attack prior to the shooting. The Seattle Times reports it was that man who was jumped and attacked, and carjacked for the white Jeep Cherokee that camp security would eventually open fire on after it sped through the camp on a night of worry and stress over fears of drive-by shootings.

 

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CHS reported on a night of driveby fears and uncertainty as at least one SUV style vehicle sped across Cal Anderson and through the protest camp before the confrontation on 12th Ave that ended in bloodshed. 911 callers reported a person shooting into a vehicle that had crashed along 12th Ave just after 3 AM. The crashed jeep, a bullet hole in its windshield and badly damaged, was reportedly rifled through by people at the camp where it stood on 12th Ave near E Pine but SPD eventually entered the scene to collect evidence in the hours following the shooting.

Only 48 hours later, Mayor Jenny Durkan issued her executive order authorizing SPD to raid and sweep the occupied protest and camp from Cal Anderson and the East Precinct.

In the days following the shooting, CHS reported on the identification of the 16-year-old victim Mays, Jr. but we were able to provide few details from friends or family about his life or what brought him to the protest camp.

According to friends from who knew him through online sites and who were familiar with the CHOP camp, Mays, Jr. — who went by Rico — was a runaway from Southern California who came to Seattle to meet up with a friend.

One person who knew him tells CHS Rico let his online friends know his plans to run away and go to Seattle only days before the shooting. The Saturday night the weekend he was shot and killed, he texted friends to tell them he had made it and would see them in a few weeks:

He told me goodnight and he loved me and he would text me the next day and he never did and So I got a text on Monday morning around 6 saying Rico been shot and at that moment I broke down

The Seattle Times talked with Rico’s uncle who lives in the Seattle area. “He told my brother he was going to Seattle to be a part of history and protest,” Michael Mays told the paper.  “And he just wanted us to be proud of him.”

Mays, Jr. also has family in the Seattle area.

“My baby cousin was shot and killed yesterday in the CHOP zone,” a family member wrote. “He was 16 years old trying to become involved in his community and a movement for true civil rights like his grandparents before him.”

Like 19-year-old Renton High student Lorenzo Anderson, who was gunned down early on Saturday, June 20th on the edge of CHOP at 10th Ave and E Pine, Mays, Jr. also had hopes of launching a career in hip-hop and music, listing his talents as “Vocalist, Songwriter, DJ/Beatmaker” on the Bandlab site. Like Anderson, Rico’s tracks are where we can still hear the young man’s voice.

Like Anderson’s killing, SPD has announced no further suspect information and has not publicly announced any arrests related to the shooting.

 

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dftl
dftl
4 years ago

Stole the Jeep. Nice kid.

Greg
Greg
4 years ago
Reply to  dftl

Where does it say the kid who died carjacked the Jeep?

dftl
dftl
4 years ago
Reply to  Greg

Paragraph #4, unless you think that the 2 reported carjackers just gave the Jeep to the 2 “kids” after it was stolen.

SL
SL
4 years ago
Reply to  Greg

He did. Actually he beat up the owner of the Jeep before he took it and went on a rampage.

SL
SL
4 years ago
Reply to  Greg

But here’s the kicker. He was well outside of the CHOP when he did it. CHOP “security” had him in their sights long before he got there, so they were spraying bullets all around my neighborhood. 300 or so. Many went into people’s homes. Could have killed babies.

“Security” had no care about where their bullets went. What you see in the videos are the last seconds of his rampage. I don’t believe he was trying to be malicious. He was just a kid with a 4000lb killing machine. He was being stupid.

He was on the phone with a friend in the CHOP who told him to come into the CHOP and that he would stop being shot at, but the people shooting at him before were the same people who were going to shoot him later.

Renegades with no aim.

RWK
RWK
4 years ago
Reply to  Greg

The Seattle Times articles quotes the owner of the Jeep as being attacked by two kids and injured with a pickaxe. He says he gave them the keys to his vehicle to prevent further attack, and that the description of the vehicle matched the one he owns.

So, yes, it is very likely that “Rico” was one of the carjackers. This can eventually be confirmed by the 14 year old who was hospitalized.

stan
stan
4 years ago
Reply to  dftl

So that’s all you took from the story; a stolen Jeep? Wow!

Regardless of what the kid did, he didn’t deserve to be executed in the street for it. And shot by a bunch of gun-toting, revolutionary LARPers that joked about running out of bullets. That’s not justice.

Fairly Obvious
Fairly Obvious
4 years ago
Reply to  stan

Unregulated militias are in direct opposition to the second amendment.

Some people seem to (conveniently) forget the opening statement of the second amendment when they quote it to justify their idiotic behaviors.

Bre
Bre
4 years ago
Reply to  stan

Exactly they took my best friend from me Now everyone on BandLab,family,and friends are hurting

CEO OF RICO!!✊🏾
CEO OF RICO!!✊🏾
3 years ago
Reply to  stan

I agree!! My best friend isn’t a bad person

CEO OF RICO!!✊🏾
CEO OF RICO!!✊🏾
3 years ago
Reply to  dftl

Ok first of all he was great young man 🙄 i know the fact he stole the Jeep isn’t good/great but if you knew who he really great inspiring person was you wouldn’t be saying stuff✋🏾He did it for a good reason okay hun

Jason Wickre
Jason Wickre
3 years ago

He injured someone and stole his vehicle for a good reason? I admit the example i always use when i say why I don’t have a gun is because i don’t want to take the life of someone who is making a bad choice because fear of the unknown while holding a gun is recipe for disaster and it would haunt me that they were just making poor decisions and they don’t need to die for a mistake. But made a bad choice and karma made an ugly appearance and now we will never know what greatness he could have achieved. I’m sorry for you loss, use his story to make peaceful change. That was BLM is about, representing change in police brutality, bring peace supported by peace. March on, let’s bring peace to every aspect of we need change.

Boo
Boo
4 years ago

Sad that no one will likely be held accountable for any of the shootings/murders.

CEO OF RICO!!✊🏾
CEO OF RICO!!✊🏾
3 years ago
Reply to  Boo

Apparently not🥺It’s been like 5 months since my Rico Wico and no nothing!!

joe
joe
4 years ago

What a tragedy.

I was hoping the story would make the story clearer but almost every detail leaves me more confused.

Adam
Adam
4 years ago
Reply to  joe

CHOP security murdered him, it’s not particularly difficult to understand. It’s just getting swept under the rug because it doesn’t fit the activist narrative.

tylar
4 years ago
Reply to  Adam

facts

Amy
Amy
4 years ago

Thank you for posting link to Rico’s music. I hope his family will find justice. So very sad.

Donald Gamble
Donald Gamble
4 years ago

The statement about the carjacking is ambiguous and vague.

Capitol Hill resident
Capitol Hill resident
4 years ago

I’m still really surprised no one is talking about what they did with the vehicle. I heard everything, it was terrifying. There was the incident at ~1am with a weapon discharged and reportedly the vehicle drove through the park. Then at 3am the vehicle came back and continually rammed into the concrete barrier. Someone was laying on their horn, and then the sound of squealing tires as the ‘revved up’ and slammed into the barrier, sound of tires again and again, the horn, gunshots, and then even more gunshots. Screaming. I hadn’t slept all night and I didn’t after that.

Emily Chen
Emily Chen
4 years ago

This whole story is a tragedy, the kid didn’t deserve to die and I have no doubt that security thought lives were in danger. Things were so tense after multiple drive by shootings, these kids really didn’t think it through.

Yxng Ti
4 years ago

I’m going to miss you bsf…At least you told me goodnight and we apologized for the stuff we did and said… Rest Easy Tony

Linda
Linda
4 years ago

Any update on the 14 year old?

Bre
Bre
4 years ago

I love you bsf rest easy chicken nugget…I’m going to miss you so much it hurts that your gone….imma make sure your music stays alive always and forever you were so good and I won’t stop I promise

tylar
4 years ago

so crazy my brother wasv took from me he told me 2 come i thought it was a joke but long live rico

Ciara walker
Ciara walker
3 years ago
Reply to  tylar

No Justice no peace this shit don’t make no sense at all my lil bro didn’t deserve to die on god and for people to comment saying he was on the phone with a friend that told him to go to chop I’m not his friend I was like his big sister blood can’t get us no closer for real this shit hurts me everyday for real it havent been the same June 29 is the worst day of my life and I will never forget it it still feel unreal for real I do a candle every month for my lil brother long life lil pocket world for real and we will get justice

Yxng Ti
3 years ago
Reply to  Ciara walker

We still are, aint no turning it down. He did some stuff for sure but he didnt have to lose his life over it

Dre aka KIDD Phantom
Dre aka KIDD Phantom
4 years ago

I’ll keep your name alive forever big bro

Chop shop
Chop shop
3 years ago

It was his Alamo .

CEO OF RICO!!✊🏾
CEO OF RICO!!✊🏾
3 years ago

I’m trying my best to get justice for you Rico….. I hope your resting up above us and watching me do my dumb stuff lol….I love you!! forever be missed