SEATTLE (AP) — A jury on Thursday ordered the city of Seattle to pay more than $30 million over the unsolved, fatal shooting of a teenager at the “ Capitol Hill Occupied Protest ” zone, which arose in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd.

The King County jury returned the verdict following 12 days of deliberation, finding that the city was negligent in its emergency response to the shooting of Antonio Mays Jr., 16, and that that negligence caused his death, The Seattle Times reported.

Because first responders wouldn’t come to the protest zone, witnesses tried to bring Mays by private vehicle to get medical care from paramedics. They tried to flag down an ambulance that drove away from them, and it was about 24 minutes before they met with medics in a parking lot.

Attorneys for the family argued that Mays might have survived if his airway was properly cleared sooner. The city argued that Mays, who was shot in the head, was unlikely to have lived and that the emergency response was not to blame for his death.

Seattle was ordered to pay $4 million to Mays’ estate and $26 million to his father, Antonio Mays Sr., who became emotional and hugged his lawyer as the verdict was announced.

Racial justice demonstrators enraged about Floyd’s killing by Minneapolis police took over eight square blocks in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood in June 2020, creating a protest zone called “CHOP.” It lasted three weeks after the city police department abandoned its nearby precinct, earning derision from President Donald Trump, who claimed a large section of the city had been taken over by anarchists.

Following two shootings at or near the protest, including Mays’ death on June 29, then-Mayor Jenny Durkan and the police department dismantled the zone.

Mays was shot in a stolen white Jeep near the protest zone with a 14-year-old also in the vehicle. A livestream from the scene captured the shots and the aftermath — but did not show the shooter. Witnesses said on the livestream that armed protesters guarding the protest zone’s barricades had fired at the Jeep. No arrests have been made nor charges filed.

Mays traveled to Seattle from southern California, where he left a note for his father saying he was joining the civil rights movement. He did not tell his father where he was going, only that he wanted to make him “proud.” Mays Sr. filed a missing persons report with the Los Angeles Police Department the same day he found the note.

Less than 10 days later, Mays was dead. The 14-year-old, who was also shot, survived after witnesses brought him to a hospital.

King County Superior Court Judge Sean O’Donnell barred the city from presenting a defense that it was not liable because Mays was committing a felony — stealing the Jeep — at the time he was killed. Even if the city proved Mays had stolen the Jeep, O’Donnell ruled, there’s no proof that he was killed because of it.

In a statement Thursday the city attorney’s office called the death a tragedy and said it was considering its legal options.

A visit to the USS Midway Museum in downtown San Diego turned into a surprise honor on Thursday for 98-year-old World War II veteran Charles Araiza.

Araiza believed he was finally getting a chance to tour the historic aircraft carrier. Instead, the longtime San Diego resident became the guest of honor during a ceremony on the flight deck, surrounded by family, fellow veterans, and museum visitors.

“Biggest ski boat I’ve ever seen in my life,” Araiza said with a laugh.

The USS Midway drew crowds of schoolchildren and veterans sharing war stories, as well as Araiza’s family, who helped plan the surprise.

“My daughter keeps saying to me, ‘You’re going to be a celebrity,’” Araiza smiled.

Araiza served as a private in the U.S. Army during World War II, deploying to the Pacific Theater with the Army’s 11th Airborne Division. After the war, he helped rebuild Hiroshima following the atomic bombing on Aug. 6, 1945.

During Thursday’s ceremony, retired Navy Capt. Steve Gilmore presented Araiza with an Army of Occupation Medal — nearly 80 years after his service — along with a U.S. flag that had flown over the USS Midway.

“Incredible. I just don’t believe it’s happening,” Araiza said.

Reflecting on his service, Araiza focused on those who never made it home.

“The ones that really deserve the attention are still there,” he said.

After returning from the war, Araiza married and moved to San Diego, where he and his wife spent 52 years together and raised two children. He owned City Auto Tops, an auto upholstery business in City Heights, for more than three decades before selling it and later upholstering small airplanes into his 90s at Montgomery and Gillespie Fields.

Araiza also helped fix upholstery on actor Tom Cruise’s seat on the F-14 used in Top Gun: Maverick, which was filmed in part in San Diego.

Despite a life filled with work and service, Araiza said he never considered himself extraordinary.

“As far as my service, I was just another GI Joe,” he said. “You do what you have to do.”

Araiza is currently receiving care from Sharp HospiceCare. His transportation to the USS Midway Museum was provided by AMR San Diego through its Sentimental Journey program, which offers complimentary ambulance rides to terminally ill patients hoping to visit a meaningful place one last time.

This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC San Diego. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC San Diego journalist edited the article for publication.