Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts paid for the funeral an 18-year-old football player killed in a shooting near his hometown of Houston earlier this month.
Jarvon Coles, a senior at North Shore High School, was found unresponsive with a gunshot wound following a drive-by-shooting in the Humble area on March 10.
The local football standout was at a house party when he was caught up in the shooting, which eventually claimed his life after he was rushed to a nearby hospital.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Hurts covered the costs of a funeral held for Coles in Humble over the weekend after reading about his tragic death.
The Texas-born Eagles star, who went to North Shore’s rival high school Channelview, decided to lend a helping hand and pay for the ceremony at Light of the World Christian Fellowship Church, where hundreds are said to have gathered to pay their respects.
KHOU also reported that Hurts recorded a video message for Coles’ family which was played at the funeral.
Police were initially called to the scene on Fieldwick Lane, near the Forest Shadows community, as a welfare check following reports of underage drinking at short-term rental property.
After arriving to find between 50 and 60 people in the property, deputies said they were told an 18-year-old man, now identified as Coles, was having a seizure in the backyard before they attempted CPR immediately.
While doing so deputies noticed a gunshot wound in Coles’ chest. He was then taken to hospital and pronounced dead shortly after.
Police believe one or more shooters fired from roughly a block away before fleeing the scene in a vehicle.
Coles’ family revealed after his death that he was an all-district linebacker with hopes of attending Lamar University as a senior with a 4.1 grade-point average.
‘Parents, please keep your kids close,’ Braxton Coles, Jarvon’s grandfather and guardian, said. ‘No matter how hard you try, you can’t save them.’
DaMeko Williams, one of Coles’ teammates, paid tribute to the linebacker and said: ‘Jarvon was a great human being, he was a great person, always had a smile on his face, never see him getting into anything bad, or having any type of conflict with anyone.
‘He was like I say, a great person on and off the field, he was very smart.’
