PRICHARD, Ala. — An Alabama man surrendered to police Thursday in connection with the fatal shooting of the son of a popular TikTok influencer, authorities said.
Reuben Thomas Gulley, 20, of Saraland, was charged with murder, according to Mobile County Sheriff’s Office online booking records. Gulley is accused of fatally shooting Randon Lee, 18, at a Prichard gas station on June 24.
Lee was the son of TikTok star Ophelia Nichols, who goes by the name of shoelover99 on TikTok. She is also known as “Mama Tot” by her nearly 7 million followers.
Arrest made in killing of local TikTok star’s son https://t.co/gxzZuRpRCy
— FOX10News | WALA (@FOX10News) August 19, 2022
Lee would have turned 19 on June 25.
According to the Prichard Police Department, Lee was at a gas station on June 24 when another car pulled up and someone inside began shooting at him, WKRG-TV reported.
Prichard Police Department Detective Jason Hadaway said during a news conference in late June that Lee, along with a few suspects, drove to the station in Prichard, a suburb of Mobile, at about 8 p.m. CDT with the intent of selling and distributing drugs, WALA-TV reported.
A suspect entered Lee’s vehicle and later shot him, Hadaway said.
The suspect then got into their vehicle and fled with the other suspects as Lee, who was wounded, drove to an Energize gas station across the street, AL.com reported. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the news organization.
“Please don’t think badly of my son for the circumstances of how he was taken,” Nichols wrote days after her son’s death in a Facebook post. “We are not ashamed of him, and never will be.
“When I was 18, I made poor choices myself. I think of the person who did this to my son and have empathy for his family once they find out,” Nichols added. “Others may not think I should, but now there will be two families that are hurt and broken. It won’t just be mine.
“This person will be held accountable, I believe that. So I will hold my faith close and my family in times of despair. It’s all we have.”
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