Organizers of a GoFundMe campaign created for TikTok star Ophelia Nichols in the wake of her son’s killing paused the fundraiser after donations came flooding in to help the grieving mother and her family.
More than $281,000 has been raised for Nichols, known affectionately as “MamaTot” on TikTok, where she shares upbeat videos, words of wisdom and messages of inclusivity, all delivered with a spunky southern charm.
“She has helped millions of people and now it’s time to help her,” the GoFundMe campaign’s organizer wrote.
Nichols shared on Saturday that her youngest son, Randon Lee, was shot and killed on Friday in Alabama. “Today would have been my baby child’s 19th birthday, but he was took from me last night. Took from my children and my husband and our family,” Nichols, who posts from @shoelover99 on TikTok, said in a video. “My son was murdered. He was shot.”
Lee, 18, was shot at a gas station before driving down the street to a different gas station, where he was later found dead, Nichols told local outlet WKRN. The shooting occurred around 7:45 p.m. Friday in Prichard, a few miles northwest of Mobile.
Nichols appealed to her 7 million followers on TikTok to help her family find the person or persons responsible for taking her son’s life.
“There’s no guidebook on how to get through any heartbreak in life,” she said. “I ain’t never asked y’all for anything but I need your help with this…They’re out there, living and breathing. But my son has died.”
“He was just 18 years old, that’s the best part of somebody’s life,” she tearfully continued. Nichols has three other children. Randon was her youngest.
She also held up a photo of Randon and addressed his killer, saying, “And I want you to look at my son. Look at my son. Look at him! This is my son, and you took him from me!”
Nichols asked that the GoFundMe campaign be paused on Sunday.
“You all have done something amazing for her family,” organizer Cari Polzin wrote.
By then, more than 10,000 donations had been made.
“May God bring you justice and healing,” one donor wrote.
“Thank you for letting us help. I’m praying for you, MamaTot,” another commented.
Prichard Police are investigating the shooting. No arrests have been made.
Anyone with information can contact the Alabama Crime Investigation Hotline at 1-800-392-8011.