Son Of TikTok Star 'Mama Tot' Was Murdered A Day Before His 19th Birthday

Ophelia Nichols, who is known to the TikTok community as “Mama Tot”, has spread positivity to her over seven million followers with her open heart and motherly encouragement. But on the night of June 24, 2022, she suffered a tragedy when Randon Lee, her 18-year-old son, was shot and killed at a gas station in Prichard, Alabama.

She shared the news with her followers in an emotional TikTok video. Nichols stated, "My son was murdered. He was shot. And I have this hatred in my heart that I don't recognize because I have never felt hate for anybody."

In her video, Nichols pleaded for information about the shooting. She discussed her grief, saying, “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.”

The Prichard Police held a press conference on June 27, 2022, and they revealed that they have identified two suspects. They also shared that Lee was allegedly meeting with the two suspects to sell them marijuana when he was shot, according to Newsweek.

WSFA reported that Lee and the two suspects pulled up to the gas station pumps in separate vehicles. The suspects then got out of their vehicle and went into Lee’s vehicle where they then shot the young man who was about to turn 19. The suspects were then seen leaving in a black car. Lee managed to drive across the road to another gas station where he then died from his injuries.

Fans enthusiastically supported grief-stricken Nichols after she posted about her son’s murder on TikTok, reported Rolling Stone. On her Facebook page, she sincerely thanked fans for their support and stated, “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.”

There was a GoFundMe campaign that was set up to help with the costs of Randon’s funeral which garnered over $280,000 in donations before they were halted at Mama Tot’s request. Nichols shared that her son was an organ donor and that she believes he will live on after death in helping others.

If you have any information about the shooting, please call Alabama's Investigation Crime Hotline at 800-392-8011.