Jazmine Barnes and her family were in their car near a WalMart in the Houston, Texas, area when a tsunami of gunshots flooded into the car. Jazmine’s mother was hit in the arm, one of her three sisters (who is six) was injured by the broken glass of the car window. Jazmine, seven, was pronounced dead at the scene. Local law enforcement officials called the shooting “totally unprovoked.” Not only has Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins said he will play this weekend in Jazmine’s honor, but he will also be donating the game check to the victim’s family to help with funeral costs.
Hopkins took to Twitter to announce his decision and offer condolences to Jazmine’s family:
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
At the time of this writing, no arrests have been made in connection with the shooting. Jason Spencer, spokesman for the Harris County Sherriff’s Office offered the following:
“Our investigators have been sifting through a consistent stream of tips coming in locally and nationally … the ones that have the most specificity and the most promise are being prioritized. Obviously, no arrests have been made or arrest warrants issued, but we are getting promising leads that are being pursued.”
Though obviously a tragic situation, the donation of a game check is the latest example of a member of the Houston Texans actively seeking charitable causes in the Houston area. Hopkins’ teammate, J.J. Watt, has spearheaded efforts that raised millions of dollars for victims of Hurricane Harvey and the school shooting that took place in nearby Sante Fe.
The Texans ended the regular season with an 11-5 record, winning the AFC South. In the wild-card round on Saturday, Houston will be home to take on division rival Indianapolis, who finished 10-6.
