Derrick Rose, not only exemplifies admirable character on the court, but also off the court.
The 3-time NBA All-Star has offered to pay for the funeral cost of 6-month-old murder victim Jonylah Watkins, Rev. Corey Brooks of New Beginnings Church told ABC 7 Chicago.
Rose took to Twitter to comment on the tragic murder.
“I’m sitting here just thinking how sad it is that my city got to go through this. I love my city and everyone in it even my haters!
“I don’t like that fact that OUR kids are not in school and that’s the only thing we have to SAVE these kids.
“I pray everyday for US for real. I know I shouldn’t be saying this because I hoop and it’s not my lane but I feel like ppl should hear this,” he wrote.
Brooks, also known as the rooftop preacher, is the Watkins’ family spokesman.
“These persons who committed this horrible crime, we guarantee you they will be brought to justice,” Brooks said, according to ABC 7 Chicago.
Brooks is offering up to $5,000 for information on the gunman.
Baby Jonylah didn’t even have a chance at life.
At only 6 months old, Watkins was shot as she was getting her diaper changed by her father Jonathan Watkins, who, too, was shot.
Jonylah was shot five times in the lung, liver, leg, shoulder, and bowel, The Chicago Tribune reports.
Baby Watkins died Tuesday from her injuries at 1 p.m. in Corner Children’s Hospital, according to CNN.
The elder Watkins, 29, is listed in serious-to-critical condition in Northwestern Hospital. He was shot in his left side and right buttock and suffered a graze wound to the face, authorities told the Tribune.
“I was trying to help. I was trying to help. I was trying to help her,” he told The Chicago Sun-Times in telephone interview. “They told me she didn’t make it.”
Ironically, the baby’s mother was shot in the leg while pregnant with little Jonylah.
Brooks called the shooting a “cowardly act,” according to DNAInfo.com.
This isn’t the first time Derrick Rose offered to pay for a victim’s funeral. He notably footed the bill for slain Chicago emcee Lil’ JoJo.
Englewood resident Lil’ JoJo was murdered in a hail of gunfire in a drive-by shooting as he was riding on the back pegs of a friend’s bike. Witnesses described the vehicle as a tan, older model, four-door Ford Taurus that was riding low in the back, according to the Chicago Sun Times.
Authorities believe members of the Black Disciples street gang are responsible for Coleman’s death
Gun violence has plagued the city of Chicago for many years. Many residents have renamed the Windy City “Chiraq” for its high rate of violence. Chicago, according to statistics, has a higher homicide rate than Kabul, Afghanistan.
In 2012 alone, the city recorded 506 murders.
The beginning of 2013 didn’t show any slowdown in pace. Chicago saw its deadliest January since 2002 with 45 homicides reported, according to CBS.
NBC Chicago estimated the Windy City is on pace to reach 730 homicides this year.
The death of Little Jonylah is demoralizing given the dramatic drop in the homicide rate in February.
14 homicides were reported in February, the lowest since 1957, according to a Chicago Police Department report.
The gunman in Jonylah’s case is still at-large. Surveillance footage captured the gunman fleeing the scene in a blue van.
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