Burna Boy is stepping up to assist families devastated by gun violence in Stockton, California.
After a tragic shooting that claimed the lives of four young people and injured 11 others in the city over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, the Afrobeats megastar is covering funeral expenses so families won’t have to face a financial burden in addition to their unimaginable loss.
“When I heard about the children murdered in Stockton, my heart broke,” Burna Boy said in a statement. “After hearing the story on ‘The Breakfast Club,’ I reached out to Wack 100 and connected with Jason Lee because no family should ever face this kind of pain alone. I wanted to do whatever I could to support these parents as they begin the long process of healing.”
The Grammy Award-winning artist has utilized his philanthropy in recent years to help those in need without making major public announcements. The shooting in Stockton, however, compelled him to adopt a slightly different approach.
An eight-year-old, a nine-year-old, and a fourteen-year-old were among the four people fatally shot during a child’s birthday party at an area banquet hall. The 14-year-old, identified by family members as Amari Peterson, particularly touched Burna Boy, as the child had a 3.8 GPA and starred on several youth sports teams in the area.
“My baby was innocent,” Peterson’s mother said. “We were just at the wrong place at the wrong time. Who would have known my baby wasn’t gonna come home with me?”
Stockton Vice Mayor Jason Lee commended Burna Boy for his offering in a post on Instagram.
“Burna didn’t know these families, but when he heard what happened, he stepped up with compassion and offered to cover the funeral costs for all the kids we lost,” Lee wrote in his caption with a photo of Amari Peterson. “That kind of love and generosity matters. It won’t erase the tragedy, but it gives these families one less burden to carry while they’re facing the unimaginable.”
He added, “Stockton… we have to do better for our kids. We have to honor Amari and every child we’ve buried by fighting with everything in us to make this city safer, more loving, and more protective of our youth. They deserved better. And we must be better.”
Residents called out the violence plaguing the city and the online discourse surrounding the senseless act.
“So many comments were like ‘it’s just Stockton,’ but the violence shouldn’t be normalized,” Yolanda Morgande told The Sacramento Bee. “We live here. We don’t want our grandkids thinking violence is alright.”
Stockton Mayor Christina Fugazi announced there is a $25,000 reward for information leading to the capture of the suspect or suspects involved in the shooting.
“Whoever did this: You don’t need to see the light of day again,” Fugazi said.
