Seattle graffiti artist aged 14 is hit and killed by monorail while spraying tag on city wall as boy’s mother insists his work was an ‘art form’

A graffiti artist just 14 was hit and killed by a Seattle monorail train while spraying his tag on a wall, while his stricken mother called the youngster’s work an “art form.”

Allison Gardiner – who lives in Arizona – told local outlets on Friday that her son, Xavier Gaytan, had been visiting her father when he was hit and killed by the train in Seattle on Sunday.

After climbing the roof of a downtown building to access the area, Gaytan – whose tag read ‘Anom’ – was spray-painting graffiti near the tracks when he was hit, police revealed in the Windy City.

The monorail – which runs along Fifth Avenue between Seattle Center and Westlake Center Downtown – traveled at speeds of 70 km/h.

The elevated rail is 30 feet above the ground at its highest points, officials said on the train’s website.

The fatal accident occurred on Fifth and Denny Way, police said – who found Gaytan dead at the scene.

A surveillance photo later showed him tagging the building. It was five days after the tragedy that his mother, Gardiner, lamented the loss.

“He wasn’t out to hurt anyone,” the grieving mother told KOMO 4 TV in a filmed interview – one of many aired on Friday.

“He was just doing something he was passionate about.”

That passion, she and others mourning the teen said, surfaced through graffiti — street art in which young practitioners often “label” buildings, buses and subways with certain pseudonyms for street reputation.

With this in mind, she framed her son as an artist who died doing what he loved, and a kid who just made a bad decision.

“It’s a pity that once again a mistake he made cannot be corrected,” she told the station, with tears in her eyes.

“He has no chance of turning it around,” she added emotionally.

Still, in the wake of the teen’s death, many have turned up somewhat mercilessly, citing his illegal actions and the inherent dangers associated with unapproved urban art.

However, other more graffiti-minded individuals have echoed Gardiner’s sentiments – in the form of spray painting.

Several Rust In Peace ‘ANOM’ – the alias Gaytan used for his illicit exploits – tags were left near the scene of his death on Friday night, as his mother told KOMO that he believed her son was not alone when he was beaten .

“As far as I know, there was another teenage boy with him, and I don’t think he was alone,” Gardiner said.

Of the criticism her son and family have since received for the circumstances surrounding his death, she said she felt sorry for those detractors.

“It breaks my heart that people are so cold and judgmental,” she told the Seattle news station, citing her son’s age and the fact that he leaves an older brother just 16 years old.

“I mean, just as many people are loving and supportive, but he was a kid,” Gardiner added.

“I really feel sorry for them because I don’t have that level of darkness or hatred in my heart, so I really feel sorry for them.”

She added that the brothers had flown to Seattle in June and that she and Gaytan’s brother took his brother’s death hard.

“When your kid doesn’t come home, you know something is wrong,” Gardiner said.

“An accident is an accident, it’s never anyone’s fault, and no matter how many bad choices a child makes, they don’t deserve to lose their life and have people pointing at them.”

She added, “(Graffiti) is an art form, and it’s one that I respect and respect his father.

“However, we had a united view on doing that safely and legally versus illegally and putting yourself at risk.

“My son was creative and he was an artist, and that was something he gravitated to,” she said.

On Sunday night, Seattle Police Department (SPD) officers announced that they had located Gaytan and that he had been hit by the monorail around 9 p.m.

“The news was so deeply hurtful and shocking, it’s not even something I can really describe,” Gardner told King 5, another Seattle outlet.

“He had a passion and a desire to do something. And unfortunately he just didn’t think it through.’

After police confirmed that the teen “spray-painted a building next to the track before being hit,” multiple signs were posted on the roof warning to stay away from the monorail.

Gardiner, meanwhile, said her son loved art and was doing an apprenticeship in screen printing in Seattle for a clothing brand.

She also reiterated how she and his father taught him the dangers of tagging. She added that Gaytan was born in Washington but grew up in Arizona.

“He was just a kid living his life. He wasn’t trying to hurt anyone and he didn’t deserve what happened,” Gardiner said.

“He loved fashion. And so that was something he wanted to explore here in Seattle. He did an internship at a local company.

“He learned screen printing. So he was just beginning to figure out what he likes and maybe what he could do with it to further his education and career.”

To avoid another similar death, Gardner said she plans to encourage communities to provide opportunities for street performers like her late son to have a safe outlet.

This art form has been around for decades and I don’t think it will go away. So perhaps what needs to change is providing more safe spaces for kids to pursue this art form,” Gardner said.

“Most of us get a chance to grow up and learn from our mistakes. And in this case the real tragedy is that he doesn’t get that chance.’

The family has since started a GoFundMe to help with Gayton’s funeral costs. Gardner told KOMO that they are holding a memorial in Seattle and then another in Phoenix.

She told FOX 10, “Most of us get a chance to grow up and learn from our mistakes. And in this case the real tragedy is that he doesn’t get that chance.’