Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is donating his playoff check to the family of a 7-year-old Houston-area girl killed in a drive-by shooting Sunday.
Jazmine Barnes was killed when a pickup truck pulled up next to the car she was in and started shooting. Barnes' mother was also wounded. The Harris County Sheriff's Office said they believed the shooting was random and they have not identified the gunman.
Hopkins announced via his Instagram account Thursday that he will donate his paycheck from Saturday's wild-card game against the Indianapolis Colts to help pay for funeral costs and bring the shooter to justice. Hopkins will earn $29,000 for Saturday's game.
"When I see Jazmine Barnes' face, I see my own daughter," Hopkins wrote.
"You hate to hear what happened," Hopkins said Thursday, per NFL Network's James Palmer. "The city of Houston is always supportive of me, of this team, so I felt in my heart that it was only right that I give back to those who are down. Man, it's a tough situation what happened. It's tough man. What I can do ... that's nothing. That won't bring back a person. I'm not trying to make it about me or anything like that. It's the least I could do."
Lee Merritt, a lawyer for Barnes' family, and Shaun King, a racial justice civil rights activist and columnist, have offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the gunman's arrest, according to The New York Times.
The shooting remains under investigation. Police said Wednesday they have not identified the gunman.
