NPR is reporting that its Embedded podcast, in collaboration with The Seattle Times and KUOW, has launched a new 8-part true crime series titled "We Keep Us Safe." It said the series investigates the unsolved killing of 16-year-old Antonio Mays Jr., who was shot and killed in Seattle's Capitol Hill Occupied Protest (CHOP) zone in the summer of 2020. Mays Jr. had joined the racial-justice protest zone, believing deeply in its cause, less than a week before his death.
The series is hosted by Seattle Times reporter Sydney Brownstone and KUOW’s Will James. NPR said the reporters, who lived in the neighborhood where CHOP took place, spent over a year investigating the case from various angles. They interviewed nearly 100 people, including new witnesses, and uncovered previously unpublicized evidence. The investigation aims to determine if Mays Jr.'s death was an act of self-defense by protesters or a cold-blooded killing, and who should be held accountable.
NPR said "We Keep Us Safe" re-investigates the case through a true-crime lens while also exploring broader implications for protest movements, accountability and political identity in America. The first episode was released today in the Embedded podcast feed, with new episodes scheduled for release each Thursday. NPR+ supporters receive early access to all episodes.