Texans star Hopkins dedicated $29K game check to Jazmine Barnes

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Sunday, January 6, 2019
Celebrities and activists demand justice for Jazmine Barnes
Celebrities and activists demand justice for Jazmine Barnes

HOUSTON, Texas -- Texans star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins decided to dedicate Saturday's game check to support the family of 7-year-old Jazmine Barnes, who was killed last Sunday in a drive-by shooting in Houston.

"When I see Jazmine Barnes' face, I see my own daughter," Hopkins wrote on Twitter.

ESPN reports, the three-time Pro Bowler said he will donate his $29,000 playoff check to help pay for funeral costs and said he would join in the effort to bring Barnes' killer to justice.

"What I can do, that's nothing, that won't bring back a person," Hopkins said Thursday. "I'm not trying to make it out about me or anything like that. It's the least I could do."

Many Houston activists, celebrities and community leaders are coming together to find justice for Jazmine.

The shooting happened while Barnes was inside her family's vehicle with her mother and siblings near a Walmart along the east Beltway and Wallisville Road.

The news quickly spread, catching the eye of many celebrities and well-known activists, who took to their social media accounts to help find the killer.

Activists say they don't believe the shooting was a coincidence, and called on the community to take action and find the person responsible.

Journalist Shaun King and civil rights attorney Lee Merritt have come together to offer a $100,000 reward for Jazmine's killer.