Cash rises for slain child
Texans’ wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins pledges next check
Texans star DeAndre Hopkins has pledged his next gameday check to the family of 7-year-old Jazmine Barnes to cover funeral costs and to encourage tipsters to come forward in finding her killer.
Hopkins likened the smiling girl to his 5-year-old daughter as he joined the growing number of athletes and entertainers paying tribute to the slain Monahan Elementary School second-grader. In a tweet Thursday, the 26-yearold wide receiver vowed to give his earnings from Saturday’s AFC wild-card game against the Indianapolis Colts to the girl’s family.
The financial boost comes as civil rights activist Shaun King upped the reward for finding Jazmine’s assailant to $100,000.
“I have a 5-year-old daughter, so that could have been anybody in that position on this team,” Hopkins said. “It could have been anybody who is in this city, so it’s just unfortunate. I felt in my heart, it’s only right to give back to those who are down. Man, it’s a tough situation for that to happen.”
On Hopkins’ official Twitter account, he wrote: “When I see Jazmine Barnes’ face, I see my own daughter. On Saturday, I will be playing in your honor, Jazmine.”
Under the NFL collective bargaining agreement, players make $29,000 for playing in the wild-card round. A check of that amount will go to paying for the memorial scheduled to take place Tuesday at the Green House International Church at 200 W. Greens Road. A viewing will start at 10 a.m.
“I hate to hear what happened,” Hopkins said. “The city of Houston is always supportive of me, of this team. I felt in my heart, it was only right that I give back to those that are down.”
KPRC-TV reported that Houston police officer Kenneth Miles and Shaquille O’ Neal are teaming up to help pay for Jazmine’s funeral expenses.
Actresses Gabrielle Union, Olivia Wilde and Sophia Bush have taken to Twitter to call on the public to help catch the suspect.
Union called on authorities to find the shooter: “This evil monster must be stopped!”
The search for the man has intensified since the shooting was first reported just before dawn Sunday near a Walmart in northeast Harris County. The suspect was behind the wheel of a pickup truck and opened fire into the car carrying Jazmine, her three sisters and their mother LaPorsha Washington to the store.
A sketch of the suspect released Thursday depicted him as a thin, white man with pronounced cheek bones. He is believed to be in his 30s to 40s and was last seen sporting a 5-o’clock shadow, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez announced at a press conference. The vehicle he was driving was captured on surveillance footage minutes before the attack is believed to be a red or maroon four-door SUV.
A rally in Jazmine’s honor is slated to be held noon Saturday in the Walmart parking lot at 5655 East Sam Houston Parkway.
During the press conference, Gonzalez thanked King for the advocacy he and attorney Lee Merritt have done in bringing awareness to the investigation. Since Sunday, King has echoed pleas from law enforcement to find the child’s killer to his more than 1 million Twitter followers.