Photo Courtesy of Instagram (@shaq)
Shaquille O’Neal is supporting the family of a Buffalo, New York grocery store shooting victim.
According to TMZ Sports, the Hall of Famer and Four-time NBA Champion donated
$50,000 that he earned from a DJ gig in Buffalo to the family of Aaron Salter, Jr.On Friday, Shaq was scheduled to DJ in Buffalo as part of Shaq’s Bass All-Stars. He performed under the name DJ Diesel.
While in Buffalo, he met with Salter Jr.’s family – his widow and son to speak with them and donate his DJ earnings to the family.
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Salter Jr. was an ex-Buffalo police officer and security guard at Tops Friendly Market. When an active shooter opened fire in the grocery on May 14, Salter Jr. confronted the shooter.
He passed away along with nine other victims who were fatally killed from gunshot wounds by 18-year-old Payton Gendron. Salter Jr. was given a state burial with line-of-duty-death honors for his sacrifice.
This is not Shaq’s first generous donation to support a family who lost a loved one. He has a long list of charitable and generous contributions to victims of gun violence and underserved communities.
As reported by Newsonyx, in April, he helped the family of Devin Page, Jr. by covering funeral expenses for the three-year-old boy killed by a stray bullet in his Baton Rouge home.
He also offered to cover the funeral expenses for Malachi Hemphill, who accidentally killed himself with a gun on Instagram in 2017. He even paid for the funeral expenses for Shaniya Davis, who was kidnapped and killed in 2009.
Although we know no amount of money can console a family for the loss of a loved one, we appreciate Shaq for lending a helping hand throughout communities.