JUNE 4, 2026 — SEATTLE, WA.: NPR's award-winning audio documentary podcast Embedded is partnering with The Seattle Times and KUOW to launch We Keep Us Safe, a new series investigating the unsolved homicide of Antonio Mays Jr. The 16-year-old Black teenager was shot and killed inside Seattle's occupied, racial-justice protest zone in the summer of 2020.

We Keep Us Safe is hosted by The Seattle Times reporter Sydney Brownstone and KUOW's Will James, of the award-winning NPR Network podcast Lost Patients, and features reporting by David Gutman, who covers local politics and government for The Seattle Times.

Beginning June 11, the eight-episode series probes whether the death of Antonio Mays Jr. was an act of self-defense by protesters or a killing in cold blood — and who should be held accountable six years later. The reporters have reviewed evidence that's never been public before and interviewed witnesses who say they've never talked to police. Despite video footage of the incident and a recent $30.5 million jury verdict against the City of Seattle, why does Antonio's case remain a mystery?

We Keep Us Safe is a gripping story of an unsolved killing that doubles as a lens into one of the most polarizing political moments in recent U.S. history.

Listen to the trailer now.

"As reporters who covered the 2020 protests in Seattle, this story has hung over us for six years," Brownstone said. "The killing of Antonio Mays Jr. at CHOP felt like a moral injury — both for us as reporters and for the city. The fact that so few people wanted to talk to us about this pushed us to dig into the painful parts of this story other people didn't want us to know."

"We had a feeling that this unsolved case had something to teach us about our city and about America right now," said James. "And it did. It's a story about uncomfortable truths and the lengths people will go to protect themselves."

Embedded's showrunner Katie Simon says the We Keep Us Safe series represents the best of narrative audio storytelling: "With this series, Embedded is adopting true-crime storytelling techniques and pairing those with the unparalleled journalistic rigor of Sydney Brownstone, Will James and David Gutman, who have spent more than a year delving into unresolved trauma in their city with compassion, clarity and nuance."

"This series shows the power of local journalism," said Michele Matassa Flores, executive editor of The Seattle Times. "When police, politicians and even many protesters wouldn't discuss this case, our reporters set out to find answers on their own, interviewing nearly 100 people and pressing them for information. They've never given up on getting to the truth."

"This is a story that needed to be told. And it was only possible through collaboration," said KUOW chief content officer Marshall Eisen. "Embedded brought gold standard podcast sensibilities, KUOW and The Seattle Times journalists brought in-depth local reporting, and Omari Salisbury and Converge Media offered first-person perspectives and a trove of live-streamed media from the contested events of 2020."

We Keep Us Safe will publish weekly in the Embedded feed wherever you get your podcasts.

NPR+ supporters get early access to every episode in Embedded. To sign up for NPR+, go to plus.npr.org.

About Sydney Brownstone
Sydney Brownstone is an investigative reporter at The Seattle Times and co-host of We Keep Us Safe from NPR's Embedded podcast. Brownstone has reported on jails, mental health care, sexual assault and homelessness for over a decade in Seattle and won numerous awards for their work, including the 2025 Livingston Award for national reporting.

About Will James
Will James is the co-host of We Keep Us Safe from NPR's Embedded podcast and a reporter and producer for KUOW in Seattle, where he works on long-term investigative and narrative projects. He co-created and hosted the Peabody-nominated podcast Lost Patients. He previously created and hosted the podcast Outsiders (KNKX), which TIME named one of the best podcasts of 2020; co-hosted and produced the podcast Transmission; and served as senior producer on the Edward R. Murrow award-winning podcast The Walk Home. He came to audio journalism after reporting for newspapers in his home state of New York.

About David Gutman
David Gutman is a political reporter for The Seattle Times, where he has worked since 2016. Previously he was a reporter for The Charleston Gazette-Mail, in West Virginia, and the Associated Press.

About NPR
NPR's rigorous reporting and unsurpassed storytelling connect with millions of Americans every day — on the air, online, and in person. NPR was founded on a mission to create a more informed public — one challenged and invigorated by a deeper understanding and appreciation of events, ideas, and cultures. With a nationwide network of award-winning journalists and more than a dozen international bureaus, NPR and its Member organizations— the NPR Network — are never far from where a story is unfolding. Listeners and readers can find NPR everywhere — through their local Member stations (npr.org/stations), online at NPR.org, wherever podcasts are available, and by downloading the NPR App. The NPR app brings together the best of the NPR Network from around the world and right in your community — live radio, podcasts, the latest local and national news and more — available wherever you are and whenever you want. Get more information at npr.org/about and by following NPR Extra on Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, and Instagram.

About KUOW
KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio is Seattle's NPR news station, serving the public with award-winning local journalism, innovative podcasts, engaging community events, and more. KUOW's chart-topping audio documentaries include Adults in the Room, Lost Patients, and Ghost Herd. KUOW is a founding NPR member station, broadcasting across the Puget Sound region since 1952.

About The Seattle Times
The Seattle Times serves the Northwest with independent, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalism, as the region's most trusted news media company, dedicated to public service. The Seattle Times is the most-visited digital information source in Washington state and the second-largest newspaper on the West Coast. Founded in 1896 by Alden J. Blethen, The Seattle Times' stewardship is now led by the Blethen family's fifth generation, whose stewardship also includes the Yakima Herald-Republic and The Walla Walla Union-Bulletin.

Media Contact
June Jennings
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