Wash. Teen with 'Heart of Gold' Was Fatally Shot in Park While on Way to Visit His Dad

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A mother in Washington State is pleading for help after her son was fatally shot on a dock in a public park.

“Somebody, please help us find out who did this to him,” said the mother, Sarahnova Mason, reports Seattle TV station KING. “We’re devastated.”

In a series of tweets, police in Kirkland said they are seeking two unnamed suspects in the shooting of 18-year-old Cyrus Mason at about 8:15 p.m. Wednesday at Houghton Beach Park. He later died at a hospital.

"Investigators have determined that the suspects did appear to know the victim," police said.

The victim's mother disagreed. “He did not know who it was. They shot him. He was not here with those people,” she told reporters at the dock, where a small memorial had taken shape, reports KOMO. “And they robbed him. They took whatever he had in his pockets and shot him several times in the chest.”

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Mason's mother told reporters her son was visiting the park with his cousin and on his way to see his father. After growing up in rural Idaho, he'd moved about a year ago to Washington, where other members of his family lived, and lived in Puyallup while working as a painter's apprentice.

“He had a heart of gold,” she said. “He wouldn’t hurt anyone. He was just a pure spirit.”

In Idaho, "he worked on the ranch. He moved pipeline and worked cattle and rode in the mountains [where] we hunt and raise our own game,” she said.

“He helped everybody. He wore his heart on his sleeve. He was such a pure-hearted soul -- just a genuine being.”

She added: “I want them to understand that he was here visiting his family. He comes from a small town. He wasn’t out here causing problems. He was just enjoying the beautiful scenery.”

“He needs someone to come forward for him,” she said. “We need closure. We need to find out who did this.”

Police asked that anyone with information about the shooting call Detective A. Haas at 425-587-3505