Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes and his wife, Brittany, as well as Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Malik Jackson will reportedly be paying for the funeral of Atatiana Jefferson, who was murdered in her Fort Worth home by a police officer last week.
Jefferson, 28, was taking care of her young nephew when a police officer making a wellness check shot through the window of her home and killed her. The officer, Aaron Dean, has since been charged with murder.
Barnes, who played for the Dallas Mavericks for more than two seasons before being traded to the Kings last February, explained to reporters on Thursday, "Anytime you come into a community, you always have a piece of that community with you and you want to give back."
"My wife and I wanted to do something for that family," Barnes said (H/T ESPN). "It was a tragic situation that happened. No one should be killed during a wellness check. But the biggest thing is anytime someone has to go through that, the last thing you want to have to worry about is trying to come up with the money for a funeral."
"It's about the family," Barnes added. "It's about everything they're going through. Our prayers obviously are with them. It was a gesture my wife and I wanted to do for them."
According to the Dallas Morning News, Barnes and his wife are covering more than half of the cost of the service, and Jackson has agreed to pay for the remainder.