Florida police have arrested a man in alleged connection with the drive-by shooting death of an 8-year-old girl following a raid on the Florida home of TikTok’s “Island Boys,” FlyySoulja and Kodiyakredd.
Andrew James Thomas, 20, has been charged with first-degree murder with a firearm, attempted first-degree murder with a firearm and being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office.
He allegedly shot and killed Ron’Ziyah Atkins in a drive-by shooting in Belle Glade Friday. She had been playing outside with friends.
Andrew James Thomas, 20, has been charged with first-degree murder with a firearm, attempted first-degree murder with a firearm and being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office.
(Broward County)
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The Coral Springs Police Department arrested Thomas at the home and booked him into Broward County’s main jail Monday.
The TikTok stars, whose real names are Franky and Alex Venegas, were not implicated in any crime, according to authorities. They rose to fame after going viral last year and have a following of more than 8 million people on the social media platform.
Their manager Dovi Bezner told WPBF 25 that Thomas has been a longtime friend of the rappers, who are twins. He showed up at their house in Coral Springs a few days ago, ostensibly to crash on their couch.
“We had no idea any of this was going on,” he told the station. “We just knew him as a quiet kid and he would come and hang out and do his thing and go back to whatever.”
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Alex Vanegas, who was home at the time of the search warrant, according to court documents, told WPBF that he cried when he found out his friend was being arrested on murder charges.
Florida records show Thomas has a criminal history that included an armed robbery in 2019, for which he received probation. As a result, he cannot legally possess firearms.