Father of Garfield student killed at school begs witnesses to 'do the right thing'

On June 6, 17-year-old Amarr Murphy-Paine was fatally shot outside Seattle's Garfield High School during lunchtime.

His father, Arron, sat down with KUOW for his first media interview since Amarr's death to remember his son's life — and seek information from the public to help police solve the case.

Arron Murphy-Paine said he has found comfort in the past five months of pain in his family, his faith, and in the many stories folks have shared with him about his son. He said it’s a gift to hear about Amarr’s kindness to both adults and his classmates.

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“One of the stories that stuck with me was every morning, him and one of his other friends would go sit with one of the disabled kids, a kid with Down syndrome,” Murphy-Paine said. “That’s what a lot of people said — 'Amarr just made me feel so comfortable. He’d talk to me when nobody else would talk to me.' He always made friends with the least popular kid.”

Murphy-Paine said he's cycling through the stages of grief at the loss of his only biological son.

“A bad day for me is the general questioning of why this happened and why there’s not justice being served. There’s a lot of sadness. There’s a hint of anger there, too,” he said. "Today feels like an acceptance day, because I’m grateful for finally having the opportunity to represent Amarr and his family and friends.”

Amarr’s parents, including his mother, Sherrica McCall, and stepmother, LaKisha Murphy-Paine, worked hard to keep him engaged in community activities, mentorships, and summer jobs. His father said he wanted to protect his son from neighborhood violence, including around Garfield, in the Central District. There have been numerous shootings near the school in recent years, and several students have been injured.

Amarr played football since he was 6, but he was sidelined with an injury after his freshman year. So, his father built a recording studio at their home.

“I wanted to keep him in the house. That’s the main thing. I’d seen that they like music, and we come from a musical family. Him and my 12-year-old, Jah’Zaire, they went straight to work,” Murphy-Paine said.

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Amarr put out two hip-hop albums and shot two videos in a year under the stage name babyyanks.

Last spring, as a 17-year-old junior, Amarr was excited to be back on the football team for his senior year.

When a fight between two kids broke out in the school parking lot, Amarr reportedly tried to break it up. Some time after that, he was fatally shot.

“Someone walked up to the school during lunch and used a gun to kill a child. A child. No matter his 6’1”, 220-pound frame, still a child,” his father said.

Students witnessed the shooting, and surveillance footage that appeared blurry in still images was circulated on social media.

Murphy-Paine said that although police have heard secondhand accounts of what happened, no one who witnessed his son get shot has identified his killer to police. There are rumors on social media, but not enough to make an arrest, a Seattle Police Department spokesperson told KUOW. They stress that witnesses can provide information anonymously through the Violent Crimes Tip Line at 206-233-5000.

RELATED: 2 months after Garfield High student's shooting death on campus, still no arrest

Murphy-Paine rejected the notion that “street code” always means not talking to the cops.

“I grew up in that neighborhood. I’m a Central District baby,” he said. “If we’re going to go off street code and street culture, then there’s another culture that’s always been bigger. There’s a sense of responsibility towards crime against children that we’re forgetting about.”

And he said those worried about sticking their necks out for Amarr should remember that he was reportedly killed after he took a risk, trying to break up a fight.

“Especially in this world that’s so dangerous, he didn’t fear doing the right thing. That’s the energy that this family wants to portray to the community,” Murphy-Paine said. “Don’t have fear doing the right thing for someone who died doing the thing that felt right to him.”

Murphy-Paine said others may unwittingly be able to help — anyone might have information that can help bring his son’s killer to justice, like doorbell videos from that day, which may be stored for as long as six months.

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“We need your help in any way, shape or form. Check your Ring [camera]. Check and see if anything happened in your neighborhood on June 6,” he said. “You can help assist Seattle Police Department with this. We’re working with them, we’re not working against them.”

In the meantime, Murphy-Paine said he is grateful for all of those who have come forward with their memories of Amarr, and for the love and unity that his family has shown each other after a tragedy that could have torn them apart.

Whenever he wants to hear his son’s voice, he listens to the music Amarr made right there at home, including “Say Luv,” a song the Garfield marching band performed in his honor at halftime at the homecoming game this fall.

Murphy-Paine said, “Amarr was love.”