Shaquille O'Neal To Help Pay For Jazmine Barnes' Funeral -- Two Suspects In Custody

R.I.P. Jazmine Barnes.
The seven-year-old who was tragically killed in a drive-by shooting will be laid to rest on Tuesday by her family in Texas, who are in no doubt devastated by this heartbreaking, unexpected loss.
They will have some help though, as NBA great Shaquille O’Neal has pledged to cover the funeral costs.
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Reports say O’Neal and Houston Senior Police Officer Kenneth Miles brought a cashier’s check to Jazmine’s family last week, but he isn’t the only superstar offering a hand.
Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins pledged his NFL playoff game check to Jazmine’s family. Hopkins said it was to help the family with funeral costs, too, and hospital bills for Jazmine’s mother or other family needs.
For those who may have missed it, the seven-year-old was in a car with her mother, LaPorsha Washington, and her three sisters near a Walmart outside of Houston when a now identified gunman opened fire — killing Jazmine instantly, and injuring LaPorsha and Jazmine’s six-year-old sister. Her other two teen siblings escaped from the car uninjured.
We have a few updates on the case itself, too.
After a week-long manhunt, amplified by the help of social awareness of the case on Twitter, police have arrested and charged Eric Black Jr., 20, with capital murder in Jazmine’s death. A second suspect is also in police custody on drug charges, but is believed to be connected to the crime.
Black Jr. appeared in court on Monday, where he admitted to prosecutors to having driven the car while his passenger opened fire. The suspect was apprehended after an anonymous tip passed along by journalist and activist Shaun King implicated two men identified as “LW” and “EB” in the shooting. The source reportedly later provided an Instagram account name linking police to “EB” AKA Eric Black Jr. directly for arrest. 

Based on the investigation, authorities believe that the shooting was a sad case of mistaken identity. Initial reports had once pointed to a hate crime.
So, so sad.
Nothing can replace the lost of a loved one, but we hope that Jazmine’s family can begin to heal as justice is served.
You can also still donate to the Barnes family’s GoFundMe campaign HERE.
[Image via WENN/Houston County Sheriff’s Office/Twitter]