Family of Seattle CHAZ victim asks Congress to investigate circumstances that led to his death

According to the formal request obtained by The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI, “Antonio Mays Jr., just 16 years old, came to Seattle to participate in the civil rights movement, believing he would be part of something meaningful. Tragically, he was met with violence instead.”

“Robert West, a bright young boy, also sought to engage in the movement but instead encountered a nightmare,” the letter continued. “He endured severe injuries, including part of his skull being removed due to a gunshot wound.”

“Both boys were victims of a systemic failure that left them vulnerable and unprotected. The reality of the CHOP Zone (Capitol Hill Organized Protest) was initially characterized by local officials, including Mayor Jenny Durkan, as a 'summer of love.' However, this area devolved into chaos, where armed individuals governed the streets, and violence was rampant.”

Following the death of George Floyd, rioters protested against police at Seattle’s East Precinct. After multiple nights of riots, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan and Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best ordered the precinct be evacuated so it could be turned over “to the community.”

Rioters used police barricades and created the 6-block Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ), which was later renamed the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest (CHOP), where, for almost a month, armed Antifa and BLM activists acted as security and prohibited police from entering the area. During the third week of the occupation, on June 29 at approximately 3 am, Mays and West were speeding around the CHOP zone in a stolen Jeep. CHOP security opened fire on the Jeep. There is confusion if there was also gunfire coming from the Jeep. The Jeep crashed into a city-installed barricade and toilet near the East Precinct.

In one of the videos that caught the incident, a person can be heard approaching the vehicle and saying, “Oh, you’re not dead, huh? Yo, you want to get pistol-whipped?”

Another video captured CHOP occupiers walking near the shot-up Jeep that was splattered with blood carrying AR-15-style rifles. Someone can be heard on the video saying, “You see any shells on the ground, pick those up, pocket ’em, take ’em home.”

Another person says, “Hell yeah, no evidence, no evidence, pick that **** up,” and added, “Nobody is going to witness anything.”

Mays and West were pulled from the Jeep and taken from the scene in private cars to the hospital because Seattle police and paramedics were banned from the area by agitators. West was taken to Harborview Medical Center and survived, but the CHOP “medics” attempted to meet Seattle Fire Department medics at a rendezvous point a few blocks away, which resulted in a 24-minute delay in getting Mays help, according to a review of the incident from Seattle’s Office of the Inspector General. Mays was ultimately pronounced dead.

Mays and West were shot in the zone, whose occupiers claimed its purpose was to protect black lives from police.

Since police weren’t allowed in the area, the crime scene was contaminated by CHAZ occupiers. Despite the shootings having been caught on multiple livestreams and witnessed by dozens of people, the case remains active and unsolved. No arrests have been made and no suspects have been named.

In 2023, Antonio Mays Sr. filed a wrongful-death lawsuit, alleging the city’s negligence created the conditions that led to his son’s death. The city has already spent millions of dollars on settlements due to the zone as well as a case that revealed Seattle officials deleting their text messages during the armed occupation.

At the time, occupiers were accusing Daniel Alan Baker, a US Army veteran turned Syrian militia member, of being involved. In 2021, he was sentenced to 44 months in jail followed by three years of federal supervision after attempting to rally far-left activists to surround pro-Trump protesters with guns at the Florida state Capitol.

Evan Oshan, the attorney for the families, noted that ten days before Antonio and Robert were shot, “a young Black man, Lorenzo Anderson, was killed in the CHOP Zone. This indicates that the city had ample notice of the escalating violence yet chose to ignore the warnings.”

He called out former Mayor Jenny Durkan, former Police Chief Carmen Best, and Fire Marshal Harold Scoggins for being “aware of the dangers and the growing unrest but continued to promote the CHOP Zone as a safe and welcoming space. The decision to abandon the 58th police precinct and not dismantle the CHOP zone after Lorenzo’s death and other violent acts in this zone coupled with public statements by city leaders, has raised grave concerns about public safety and accountability.”

“Despite the gravity of these incidents, there has been no accountability. No individuals have been arrested, and it appears that the investigations, if any were conducted were deeply flawed. It has been over five years since these tragedies occurred, and families like Antonio Mays’ and Robert West’s still seek justice.”

Oshan wrote, “We have a duty to understand what went wrong in the CHOP Zone in order to safeguard against such pandemonium moving forward, for those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it. Seattle’s past is but a prologue to its future. An investigation into the persons that took control of the CHOP Zone, brandishing weapons and disseminating dangerous ideologies. These individuals inspired violent acts that culminated in homicides. They should be found liable in some manner for the loss and destruction that occurred as a result of their instructions.”

He noted that a complaint was lodged with the Seattle Police Department regarding the “mishandling of the crime scene, indicating a botched investigation that was swept under the carpet with the simple explanation of “inconclusive.” Even with overwhelming evidence that exists, such as videos, eyewitness statements and more, it is appalling that there has been no movement against anyone involved in these heinous acts. The complaint and its findings are attached to this letter.”

“Following multiple lawsuits being filed against the city and its officials, legitimate evidence came to light regarding the willful destruction of relevant text messages and emails on city provided devices by many top city officials, demonstrating a pattern of disregard for proper investigative procedures. The Western Washington Federal District Court ultimately ordered roughly $600,000.00 in spoliation sanctions against the city for the misconduct of its officials.”

Oshan said it is “imperative to address the misappropriation of federal and state funds that were intended for public safety and community welfare. Instead of directing these resources to protect vulnerable youth, local officials allowed a dangerous environment to flourish. Federal funding programs, designed to enhance community policing and safety, were misused to support a situation that led to violence and death.”