Tyler Perry to pay for the funeral of Atlanta girl, 8, killed in shooting


Secoriea Turner died on Saturday after her mother's car was shot into near the Wendy’s where Rayshard Brooks was killed by police.

(Credit: Getty Images and Atlanta Police Department)

Tyler Perry is once again lending his moral and financial support to a grieving family as the entertainment mogul announced that he’d pay for the funeral of an Atlanta girl who was fatally shot. Secoriea Turner died by gunfire on Saturday near the Wendy’s where Rayshard Brooks was killed by police last month.

Read More: Atlanta girl, 8, fatally shot near Rayshard Brooks memorial site

The Madea filmmaker told People exclusively in an interview published Wednesday that he did not see the need to “choose” where his compassion goes.

Tyler Perry theGrio.com
Tyler Perry speaks on stage at 2019 ESSENCE Festival Presented By Coca-Cola at Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for ESSENCE)

“When so many Black people like George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks were killed I was outraged and did what I could to help their families. When a white police officer was shot in the head trying to stop a shoplifter in a suburb outside of Atlanta I was outraged and I did what I could to help him and his family,” he said.

Perry added that his outrage also extended to the loss of life that takes place when others in the Black community kill each other. In his view, wrong was wrong regardless of color.

“I’m outraged today because I’d rather be paying for 8-year-old Secoriea Turner’s college than her funeral. When does this end?” he continued.

According to Secoriea’s mother, Charmaine Turner, she was trying to pull into a parking lot on University Avenue not too far from where Brooks was killed over the Fourth of July holiday with her daughter in the car.  Turner was confronted by a group of armed people who blocked the entrance. For reasons not yet known, someone opened fire, striking the car several times.

Secoriea was taken to Atlanta Medical Center where she later died.

Read More: Georgia Gov. authorizes Guard troops after 8-year-old killed

“We understand the frustration of Rayshard Brooks,” Charmaine said at a press conference, “We ain’t got nothing to do with that. (We’re) innocent. We didn’t mean no harm. My baby didn’t mean no harm.”

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