Rapper 21 Savage pays for funeral of 3-year-old DeKalb shooting victim

Atlanta rapper 21 Savage with girlfriend Amber Rose.

Atlanta rapper 21 Savage with girlfriend Amber Rose.

The Atlanta rapper 21 Savage stepped up to cover the funeral costs of T'Rhigi Diggs, the 3-year-old killed in a shooting on the night of Easter.

The funeral is set for noon Saturday at Israel Baptist Church, 2071 Hosea Williams Boulevard, in the Kirkwood neighborhood of Atlanta. All are welcome, the mother said.

The rapper is a family friend, T’Rhigi’s mother, Roshonda Craig, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She said the offer was touching and a weight off the family.

DeKalb County police are searching for answers in what led to the child’s death. He was shot in the chest as his mother drove past a Texaco station off Bouldercrest Road.

She said she had seen people in a Dodge Charger with paintball guns right before the real gunshot rang out.

Police are investigating whether the shooter might have been provoked by the paintball guns and the child got caught in between, among other possibilities, Channel 2 Action News said.

As it happens, 21 Savage has been associated with a recent fad of so-called paintball “wars” around Atlanta. It’s reportedly intended as a game, with the dual purpose of encouraging people to stop using real guns. The rapper is purportedly shown in a number of YouTube videos about Atlanta paintball wars.

T’Rhigi’s mother is also concerned that the paintballs, which she points out involves plenty more people than the rapper, could’ve caused someone to get angry and fire a real gun.

DeKalb police spokeswoman Shiera Campbell said investigators believe the shooting had nothing to do with 21 Savage. She said police are considering all theories in what could've led to the shooting and they're hoping someone will come forward to identify possible witnesses seen near the scene.

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