Local songwriter sings about the tragic death of a 7-year-old boy

CHADBOURN, NC (WWAY)– A community coming together to honor a 7-year-old boy killed in a drive by shooting two years ago, and how it found a unique way to honor the boy’s memory alive.

“Antonio let me tell you, you did nothing wrong. The world just failed you, and it’s been failing far too long.”

Those are just some of the lyrics of “Antonio”, and the music that is heard are more than just words, it tells a story.

“You were swept into somebody else’s storm, a fight you never chose to see and the hardest part, Antonio, the one who did this is still running free,” said Todd.

Mark Todd is a local singer song writer, and he is singing about Antonio Jamal Maultsby Jr, and in 2024, the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office says he was killed in a drive by shooting at a home at Braswell Road.

The police investigation has come up dry, but it’s offered a 4,400 reward for more information on his killer, and now Todd and his band “Voodoo Dancer” have come up with a song called “Antonio”, to make sure Antonio is not forgotten.

“I had tears in my eyes when I wrote the song, even though I never met Antonio or any of his family,” said Todd. “Just something about this kid and what happened to him just affected me so much that I had to write this song.”

Todd says he felt insulted when he saw the reward price, saying it was too low, something that Operation Manager at WTXY Wes Simkins agrees. Simkins is playing it at the station to help bring more awareness and to help raise more money for the reward price.

“It gives me chill bumps. When I listen to the song, and I listened to the words, the lyrics of this song, it gave me chill bumps,” said Simkins. “It just brings a tear to my eye when I listened to it, thinking about it brings a tear to my eye. It’s all about awareness and that’s what we want to push here at WTXY Radio.”

The radio station will be playing the song on air for 30 days and is co-sponsoring a GoFundMe campaign where 100 percent of royalties from streaming platforms will go toward the reward fund.