A teenage rapper has died after accidentally shooting himself while showing off his handgun in a social media video. Raleigh Freeman III, also known as rapper Rylo Huncho, was found dead at his home in Suffolk, Virginia , on May 16.
A video of the 17-year-old circulated online showing him waving around the barrel, apparently switching off the gun's safety, pointing the weapon to his head and pulling the trigger. The young musician was then thrown from view as the camera dropped. Police have not named Rylo but have confirmed a 17-year-old died from an "accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound" to his head.
Initially, it was claimed that the clip was fake with some speculating about how the footage was posted if the rapper was already dead, but it appears the footage was filmed on a livestream and a GoFundMe page was later created by the teen's heartbroken family. According to the page, Rylo was his mother's only child and she took care of him "the best she could."
Rylo's friend, Twin Porter, also appeared to confirm his death on Facebook as he wrote in a post: "Long live rylooooooo." The teen's family and friends also gathered for a balloon release to pay tribute to the deceased rapper, photos published on the social media platform show.
Kara Dorsey, an educator who knew the rapper and his family, shared the fundraiser on Facebook and encouraged her students to "honor the legacy of their friend" by continuing "fulfilling their goals", as she wrote in a post on May 17: "Just yesterday my school family experienced a loss. While I didn't have the opportunity to meet this young man, I did meet his older cousin and a close friend today. I met them as they spent their lunch quietly walking the halls and asking staff members to share a GoFundMe to help the young man’s mother lay her only child to rest.
"I tried to encourage them to honor the legacy of their friend and to continue being the thoughtful and polite young men they’d been in my only interaction with them…to push through to graduation day and continue fulfilling their goals. I told them that, while this won't ease their pain or bring him back, it will honor him and bring joy to their grieving family during this time."
A cousin of the rapper wrote on the fundraiser: "Hello, my aunt recently lost her 17-year-old son from a self-inflicted gun wound to the head. He was her only son! She was a single parent but took care of her son the best she could. Suicide/accidental was the cause of his death we are still trying to figure out why.
"But anything I mean anything can help her at this time of need. He was her only child she was also an only child it was always her and her son. Anything can help! Please keep my family in your prayers thank you so much."
The GoFundMe page, with a target of $15,000 (£11,800), has so far collected over $2,800 (£2,200) in donations. You can donate here .
If you are in the United States, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or go to http://SuicidePreventionLifeline.org
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