BATON ROUGE, La. – NBA legend Shaquille O’ Neal is covering the funeral expenses for a family in mourning after a young child was tragically killed by a stray bullet as he slept in his bed.
Devin Page Jr., a 3-year-old boy from Baton Rouge, Louisiana was fatally shot on 12th April. The preschooler was asleep in his bed next to his 1-year-old sister when a stray bullet flew through his bedroom window striking him and killing him instantly.
Police believe the bullet was from a gunfight that was taking place outside the family’s home, however an ongoing investigation has not revealed much more information as of yet.
The child’s family stated that they had hoped to move from the area due to other violent incidents that regularly occur there but were unable to because they could not afford it.
“I try to stick it out. Now that I stick it out, this is the outcome of what happened. My son got killed,” Devin’s mother Tye Toliver said.
O’Neal, speaking to the grieving family via a FaceTime call, offered his condolences and said he and a pastor friend were going to “…take care of everything.”
Shaq, who attended Louisiana State University (LSU), is partnering with Greater Beulah Baptist Church to provide the funeral service.
This is not the first time he has done something similar. He also covered the funeral costs for an 11-year-old’s death back in 2020 in Baton Rouge.
The police have not made any arrests as of yet and an investigation is ongoing.
