EXCLUSIVE: Family of black teen killed in Seattle’s CHAZ asks court to unseal police body-cam videos after $31.5 million verdict

In the aftermath of a landmark jury verdict finding the City of Seattle liable for the 2020 death of 16-year-old Antonio Mays Jr., his family is urging the city to release dozens of police body-camera videos that remain sealed from public view. Mays was killed in the CHAZ, the Capital Hill Autonomous Zone, that sprung up after the death of George Floyd in 2020.

A King County jury last week awarded roughly $31.5 million in damages to the Mays family after concluding Seattle was negligent in its emergency response to the June 2020 shooting in the deadly Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ), and that the negligence was a cause of Mays’ death. Now, the family says the public should be allowed to see 116 body-worn camera videos that were produced during the civil litigation but kept confidential under a protective order limiting access to the parties’ attorneys.

“We believe the public deserves to see these videos,” said Evan Oshan, attorney for the Mays family, in a statement to The Post Millennial. “Transparency serves everyone—it honors Antonio Jr’s memory, and it helps the community understand what happened that night.”

Antonio Mays Jr. was shot shortly after 3 am on June 29, 2020, during the final days of the BLM and Antifa armed takeover in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. The occupied area formed after police withdrew from the East Precinct during the nationwide protests that followed the death of George Floyd. The jury found the city negligent for failing to respond effectively. They also found that first responders did not enter the protest zone, leaving bystanders to try to transport the wounded teen themselves. The verdict included $4 million to Mays’ estate and $26 million to his father, Antonio Mays Sr.

The family’s latest call is aimed at evidence generated during the lawsuit: 116 police body-camera videos that, the family says, were produced under a protective order designating them for “attorney’s eyes only.” Under such orders, courts can restrict disclosure of discovery materials while litigation is pending, sometimes to protect sensitive information, privacy interests, or the integrity of related proceedings. The family argues that any legitimate privacy concerns can be addressed through redactions, rather than by continuing to seal the videos in full.

Oshan said the question of public release remains before the court and cites a November 2025 order by King County Superior Court Judge Sean O’Donnell directing the city to review the videos and identify any portions it believes should remain sealed, followed by a city motion asking the court to reconsider. According to Oshan, the body-camera footage is not only potential evidence, but also is a public accountability measure after a verdict that faulted the city’s conduct during the CHAZ.

Mays, who had traveled to Seattle from Southern California, was killed in a shooting towards the end of the CHAZ occupation when the zone’s “security” opened fire on a vehicle he was in. It took about 24 minutes for Mays to be brought to medics after bystanders attempted to transport him out of the zone, and the family’s attorneys argued he might have survived if his airway had been cleared sooner. “His family continues to seek justice, accountability, and transparency in his memory,” Oshan said.