CHARLOTTE — A mother is mourning the loss of her young son who was killed at a north Charlotte pool party.
Channel 9’s Jonathan Lowe is the only reporter who spoke with the mother of RJ Thomas, a 20-year-old who was shot and killed Sunday.
There were hundreds of people at the party. Many of them were capturing the event on their cell phones. Many of those videos are now circulating on social media.
Thomas’ family hopes they help lead police to the person or people responsible for fatally shooting him.
“A lot of parties, they don’t have no security, so anybody can walk in with anything,” said Cintia Huddleston, the victim’s aunt.
Among the five people shot during a backyard pool party Sunday afternoon, Thomas is the only one who didn’t survive.
His loved ones are speaking directly to whoever opened fire.
“Do better. It’s more to life than pulling out a gun and shooting at innocent people,” said Isannah Fagan, another one of Thomas’ aunts. “It’s more to life than that.”
Originally from Syracuse, New York, Thomas moved to Charlotte with his mom in 2017 and went on to graduate from West Charlotte High School, where he also played football.
“He was full of life, good kid,” Huddleston said. “No street life. He just worked and enjoyed his friends and family.”
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“I’m not gonna portray my son to be perfect, he was just like any of these kids,” Thomas’ mother Shonda Seals said. “He just recently was talking about being a stock person, going into stocks.”
His mom and aunts remember the last time they saw him Sunday before he headed to that pool party.
“He went to have a good time, hang out with his friends, his friends for a long time,” said Fagan.
And it’s those friends who delivered the unthinkable news to his mom.
“One of his best friends called me and said, ‘Ma, RJ been shot. Get here now,’” Seals said.
But with the chaos that ensued after hundreds of people ran for their lives, she was blocked from getting to her dying son.
“Everything I got on is a piece of my son,” Seals said when she spoke to Channel 9. “The hat, the shirt. Everything is my son’s, his crocs.”
With so many at the party, Thomas’ loved ones are confident someone knows something. They’re optimistic police will make an arrest sooner than later.
“People are coming in, so for those that have come in, that are speaking, that are telling the story, I greatly appreciate it,” said Seals. “I truly appreciate it.”
We have yet to hear from police on any suspects or arrests, but Thomas’ mom told us she heard from the detective on the case Monday.
She says he told her they are getting leads.
WATCH: 1 dead, 4 hurt in shooting at north Charlotte party
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