Shaquille O'Neal has offered to pay for the funeral of the teenager who accidentally killed himself last Monday during an Instagram live stream.
Malachi Hemphill, 13, was playing around with a gun in his bedroom in Forest Park, Georgia, when he shot himself as friends watched him on the social media app.
He was taken to Atlanta hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Image: YouTube/11Alive
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Shaq, who hails from the Atlanta area, called the mourning family members before visiting them on Thursday, WXIA reported.
"We just broke down and started crying because Malachi didn't have any insurance," Malachi's godmother Shantirea Bankston told WXIA.
"We wasn't prepared to bury him this young. We didn't have insurance for him. So to have that from Shaquille O'Neal it was a blessing and very touching, and we appreciate everything he do for the community."
Image: YouTube/11Alive
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Malachi's mum Shaniqua Stephens was in the house when the tragic incident occurred.
"I heard a big boom. I couldn't tell if it was a gun shot or what," she told WXIA.
She and her daughter ran to the bedroom but found the door locked. "We kicked in the door," she said.
"We found him just laying there in a pool of blood.
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"My daughter screamed and said, 'Mom turn his phone off!'. As I proceeded to look at his phone, he was on Instagram Live."
While they waited for an ambulance, several of Malachi's friends ran over to the house.
Image: PA
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Unfortunately many of them had witnessed the horror on his live stream.
"There was about 40 to 50 kids outside," she said. "I guess these were the kids that were watching on Live that live in the area. I guess when it happened they just ran over here."
It was in the former basketball legend's best interested that he take care of the financial aspect of the family's service for Malachi.
"No mother should have to go through this. I can only imagine the pain that she and all of Malachi's family must be feeling. I just wanted to do what I could to help them at such a terrible time," O'Neal said in a statement to WXIA.
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What a guy.
Featured Image Credit: PA