On December 30, seven-year-old Jazmine Barnes was headed to a convenience store in Houston with her mom and three sisters when a gunman pulled up and opened fire on their car before driving away. Jazmine died from her injuries. Her mom and sisters survived. Jazmine's death has gained national attention after writer and activist Shaun King and civil rights lawyer Lee Merritt raised $100K in private funds to help track down Jazmine's executioner.
On Thursday morning, Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins posted a message to social media promising to give his upcoming playoff check—for when his Texans face the Colts on Sunday—to Jazmine's family to help cover funeral costs and aid in the capture of her murderer.
Here's more information on what you can do to help bring Jazmine's killer to justice.
Other celebrities are calling attention to her death, including Houston musicians Bun B and Trae tha Truth and actresses Gabrielle Union and Olivia Wilde.
Authorities have released a picture of the red truck the suspect was believed to be driving and a description of a bearded white man in his 40s.
Merritt tells the Washington Post he and the family believe the killing was racially motivated. "That’s why I was brought on," he told them by phone on Wednesday. "We want to emphasize the racial nature of the attack and that hate-crime charges are appropriate."
