Rihanna calls for end to gun violence after cousin is killed
RIHANNA has condemned the gun crime epidemic sweeping Barbados after her cousin was shot dead.
The singer – who has a pistol tattoo she calls a ‘symbol of strength’ – posted a moving tribute to Tavon Kaiseen Alleyne after he was gunned down near his family home at 7pm on Boxing Day.
Rihanna, 29, who left the Caribbean island at 16 to pursue her career, shared a series of photographs on Instagram which show her embracing Mr Alleyne, 21. Alongside them, she told how she had hugged him on Christmas Day.
‘RIP cousin... can’t believe it was just last night that I held you in my arms! Never thought that would be the last time I felt the warmth in your body!!! Love you always man!’ She added: ‘#endgunviolence’.
There has been a 57 per cent increase in gun crimes on the island this year. Almost one a day – 318 – were recorded compared to 202 last year.
Rihanna, who often wears a gun pendant necklace, has about 25 tattoos, including a pistol on her ribcage and the words ‘thug life’ across her fingers. The video to her single, Needed Me, last year showed her brandishing a gun, before she tracks down a man and kills him in a strip club, shooting him several times in the chest at point-blank range.
Speaking about the pistol tattoo she had done months after she was assaulted by her ex-boyfriend Chris Brown in 2009, Rihanna said: ‘Everybody wanted to know what was happening in my life. Is she a drug addict? No. Is she an alcoholic? No. Is she a victim? No.
‘That’s when I got the gun. It was a symbol of strength. I’ll never be a victim.’
Local media said Mr Alleyne was walking in his neighbourhood of St Michael when he was approached by a man and shot several times. He was taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital where he died.
The shooting took place just a ten-minute drive from the road where Rihanna grew up – which has been renamed Rihanna Drive by the government.
Mr Alleyne had posted several photos of Rihanna on Instagram, calling her his ‘favourite cousin’. In one post from February, he wished the star well on her birthday, writing: ‘Every day we are happy to have you in our lives. Happy birthday, cousin, we really love you.’ Other posts include references to the unsafe neighbourhood he lived in, including: ‘These streets made me lose my conscience’, as well as more threatening posts such as ‘before you f*** wid me brudda just try remember me (sic)’.
Rihanna, who is worth more than £55 million, grew up on the island, sharing a bungalow with her parents and two brothers.
At 15, she met producer Evan Rogers and auditioned for him in his hotel room. She flew to New York and landed a record deal with Jay Z’s label Def Jam Recordings. She has won eight Grammy Awards, had nine No 1 hits in the UK charts and her 60 weeks at No1 in the US beats The Beatles’ total of 59. A representative for Rihanna has been approached for comment.
‘I’ll never be a victim’