TikTok Influencer 'Mama Tot' Speaks Out After Arrest Made In Her Son's Murder

Well-known TikTok influencer Ophelia Nichols, otherwise known as Mama Tot, is not "happy" that her son's alleged murderer has been arrested. She explained in a video posted on TikTok that she is "grateful, but not happy." Known for her upbeat attitude and always spreading positivity and motivation to her followers, the past few months have been difficult since her 18-year-old son Randon Lee was fatally shot at a gas station in Prichard, Alabama in June. This past Thursday, Reuben Gulley, 20, was arrested in connection to the murder according to WALA-TV, and Montgomery County jail records confirm he is in custody on a single charge of murder.

In the video Nichols posted on Friday, she explained that she wasn't able to speak about it on Thursday night and had to wait until morning. "I'm getting a hundred messages saying, 'You must be so happy right now,' and I am not. I am not happy,'" she said. "When situations like this happen, or other traumatic situations, I look at everything. I don't just look at this and this and make a decision or opinion, I look at everything."

She went on to explain, "When I seen that mugshot last night, I thought to myself, 'My goodness, he's just a baby.'" And when she saw comments from Gulley's former teachers who described him as "a lovely young man," Nichols said, "I bet he was. That just made me think, within 11 seconds, he made the decision to just throw his life away."

She continued speaking about Gulley, and the fact that he shares something in common with her son. "They both have a mother that would do absolutely anything for them. I'm sure they had that in common," she said. "So remember this, there's now two families that are hurting, there's two of us. And those parents shouldn't suffer for something that their child did, just as well as I shouldn't suffer for anything that may children have done."

Nichols then explained the negative comments she has had to endure about her son from people in her own town after his death. She hopes that Gulley's mother doesn't have to go through the same thing now that her son has been arrested. "I don't wish that on anybody. That was really hard for me. Neither one of our children should've been there that night," she said. "Neither one of them." She also reflected on how hard it is to not think about the "should of, would of, could ofs." "I know it's going to be a long road to justice. I hope it's done right, as it should," she said.

According to Prichard police, Lee was shot and killed in a gas station parking lot as he was meeting up with two individuals to sell marijuana. He was allegedly shot by one of the suspects inside his car. After being shot, Lee pulled out of the gas station and into another where he died, and the suspects fled the scene.

As much support as Nichols has been getting throughout the past few months, she's also speaking out on how people posting videos of her son's murder makes her feel. Later in the day after posting the video talking about the arrest, Nichols posted another video responding to a comment one of her followers left, "This!! Every time I see you tagged, I'm just shocked! I'm so sorry you are having to relive it all because people are tagging you!" She explained how she wishes people wouldn't discuss her son's story as a "gossip story." In the comment section of the post, Nichols said, "I don’t mind ppl posting, I was asking to at least allow me too first, TO MAKE SURE I KNOW ABOUT IT. What if I didn’t know? Wud they still post?"