Shaquille O’Neal helps pay for funeral of 7-year-old girl killed in drive-by shooting
NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal is donating to help pay for the funeral of Jazmine Barnes, a 7-year-old girl who was killed in a drive-by shooting in Houston earlier this month.
O’Neal is teaming up with a Houston police officer to cover the costs of the funeral, according to Houston’s KPRC2.
{mosads}O’Neal and the Houston officer, Kenneth Miles, dropped off a cashier’s check last week, according to the report.
“I just wanted to keep the pain away, trying to raise money and pay for the funeral because funerals can be quite expensive,” O’Neal told KPRC2.
@houstonpolice Officer Kenneth Miles and @SHAQ join forces to cover funeral expenses for 7 year old #JazmineBarnes, the girl shot and killed while riding in a car with her mother and sisters. @kprc2 pic.twitter.com/awv7gtlBQ8
— Brandon Walker (@KPRC2Brandon) January 3, 2019
NFL star DeAndre Hopkins also said that he plans to donate his $29,000 playoff check to the Barnes family.
Authorities have arrested two men suspected of involvement in the shooting, with prosecutors saying it may have been a case of “mistaken identity,” according to CNN.
Eric Black Jr., 20, was arrested and is expected to be charged with capital murder. He is accused of driving the car used in the shooting. Jazmine was in a car with her mother and sisters when she was shot in the head.
Larry Woodruffe was identified by prosecutors as the second suspect, according to CNN. He is in custody on drug charges and has not yet been charged in the shooting.
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