Last week, the country was shocked and upset by the senseless drive-by murder of 7-year-old Jazmine Barnes.
Investigators say the girl from Houston, Texas was shot and killed by a stranger driving a pickup truck, but they have been unable to track down the suspect so far.
This week, Houston Texans football player DeAndre Hopkins announced he would donate his $29,000 playoff check from this weekend's playoff game to Jazmine's family, to help bring her killer to justice.
"When I see Jazmine Barnes' face, I see my own daughter," Hopkins tweeted. "On Saturday, I will be playing in your honor, Jazmine."
When I see Jazmine Barnes' face, I see my own daughter. I'm pledging my playoff check this week to help her family with funeral costs and to support @shaunking @SherriffED_HCSO @SylvesterTurner in bringing this man to justice. On Saturday, I will be playing in your honor, Jazmine pic.twitter.com/oCRYSgfGO9
— Deandre Hopkins (@DeAndreHopkins) January 3, 2019
ESPN reported that Hopkins was giving the money specifically to cover Jazmine's funeral costs, but also said he would help raise awareness of her case to try to catch the suspect.
"What I can do, that's nothing, that won't bring back a person," Hopkins was quoted as saying. "I'm not trying to make it out about me or anything like that. It's the least I could do."
The wide receiver isn't the only one digging deep for the Barnes family. A reward for information leading to the arrest of the driver has climbed to $100,000, thanks to donations from activist Shaun King and attorney S. Lee Merritt.
Thousands have also donated to a GoFundMe page covering Jazmine's funeral costs. The fundraiser will also cover medical bills for Jazmine's mother, LaPorsha Washington, and one of her three sisters, who were injured but not killed during the shooting.
Actress Gabrielle Union, the star of hit films like Bring It On and Bad Boys II, also shared information about Jazmine's case with her social media followers.
Find him! This evil monster must be stopped! https://t.co/dUUArkowcX
— Gabrielle Union (@itsgabrielleu) January 2, 2019
"Find him!" she tweeted about the girl's killer. "This evil monster must be stopped!"
LaPorsha Washington, Jazmine's mother, described her daughter's killer as a white man with a beard, maybe in his mid 40s, driving a red or maroon pickup truck. She says the man pulled up next to her car last weekend and fired at them.
You can donate to the GoFundMe for Jazmine Barnes' family through this link.
[H/T: USA Today]
