Good Deeds: Tyler Perry to pay funeral expenses of Rayshard Brooks and his children's college education
Article By Abel Bowman // EEW Magazine Online // Philanthropy
Christian mogul and philanthropist, Tyler Perry, is showing the world that ‘Good Deeds’ is more than just the title of his 2012 hit film; it is what he consistently does for those who are hurting.
The CEO will pay for the funeral expenses of Rayshard Brooks, the 27-year-old black man who was shot and killed by an Atlanta police officer, sparking protests and cries for justice across the nation.
Perry, 50, will also pay for Brooks' children's college educations, giving the grieving family something to look forward to at such a tragic time.
Demonstrators in Atlanta demand justice for Rayshard Brooks. (Credit: Steve Schafer)
The well-known Atlanta-based do-gooder, who last year paid expenses for the family of Tynesha Evans after her boyfriend allegedly shot and killed her at a bank in Alpharetta, Georgia, reached out to Rayshard's family and wanted to do something to help, a rep told PEOPLE. "His heart goes out to the family during this tragic time," said the unnamed source.
The incident leading to Brooks’ death started when Atlanta police were called about a man said to be sleeping in a car blocking a Wendy’s restaurant drive-thru. When authorities arrived on the scene, body camera footage shows that, one moment, Brooks was chatting cooperatively with Atlanta police, saying he’d had a couple of drinks to celebrate his daughter’s birthday and agreeing to a breath test. The next, they were wrestling on the ground and grappling over a Taser before Brooks took the weapon and ran.
Blessen Brooks, 8, mourns the loss of her father (Associated Press)
Seconds later, three gunshots sounded, and Brooks fell mortally wounded.
The department terminated Officer Garrett Rolfe who fired the fatal shots, and officer Devin Brosnan was placed on administrative duty. Rolfe had worked for the department since October 2013 and Brosnan since September 2018.
Brooks leaves behind a wife, Tomika Miller, and four children: Dream, 1, Memory, 2, Blessen, 8, and Mekai, 13.
Brooks’ niece, Chassidy Evans, said at a news conference Monday, “The day after my uncle's murder, his oldest daughter sat (waiting) for her father in her birthday dress to come and take her skating - and to look across the room and know that is not a possibility anymore breaks my heart.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.