Man Accused Of Killing Girl In Drive-By Shooting Grew Up With TikTok Stars

The man accused of gunning down an eight-year-old girl in South Florida has a history with TikTok stars, according to WPEC.

Authorities identified 20-year-old Andrew James Thomas as the suspect in a drive-by shooting that happened on February 4 in Belle Glade. Thomas is suspected of killing Ronziyah Atkins outside her family's home near SE 1st Street, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office. Deputies say a witness helped them identify Thomas.

Come Monday morning (February 7), a SWAT team executed a search warrant at the Coral Springs rental home of TikTok stars Alex (Flyysoulja) and Franky Venegas (Kodiyakredd), also known as the "Island Boys," per TMZ. Alex Venegas was home at the time of the raid and answered the door when SWAT came knocking, according to reporters.

Venegas alleges that Thomas ran toward him with a black handgun and an extended magazine as he was about the answer the door. The TikToker then told police he tried to get the suspect to hide the gun, and Thomas eventually ran into the laundry room and returned without the firearm, TMZ reports.

Coral Springs Police Sgt. Ernesto Bruna told TMZ it's not clear whether Thomas was visiting the Island Boys or staying with them in the home. According to the TikTok duo's manager, they "just knew him as a quiet kid and he would come and hang out" and wasn't aware of the allegations nor the drive-by shooting, per TMZ.

The news outlet also posted a video Wednesday (February 9) of Flyysoulja sending his condolences to the family of Ronziyah, saying he too has a daughter.

“I just want to send my condolences to the family," Venegas says. "We got to stop the gun violence. It’s not worth it. We need to be good citizens out here, and we need to guide the youth to be better individuals so bad things like this don’t ever happen."

When asked what he'll do to stop gun violence, he replies, "I’m going to try and promote as much as I can… Make sure everyone realizes this is the life they don’t want to live in."

Thomas was booked into the Broward County Jail. Reporters say he could face charges of first-degree murder with a firearm and attempted first-degree murder with a firearm in Palm Beach County.