Kanye West has donated $150,000 to the family of Jemel Roberson, the black security guard tragically killed by a Chicago cop after he subdued a shooting suspect in a Chicago area bar.
West, 41, made the donation on the GoFundMe page the 26-year-old’s family created following his murder Nov. 11.
A fan account took a photo of West’s 10 donations of $15,000 and shared the screenshot on Instagram Friday.
Roberson, who was the father of a 9-month-old son, was in uniform and wearing a hat, emblazoned with the word “security,” while holding down the alleged assailant early Sunday at Manny’s Blue Room Lounge in Robbins, outside of Chicago, Illinois. Roberson also was holding his licensed firearm at the time.
The fatal shooting was an apparent case of mistaken identity. The family filed a lawsuit Monday against the police department and the officer who pulled the trigger.
Roberson, 26, was fatally shot by a Midlothian police officer who was among the first to respond after a reported shooting.
Witnesses said a security guard told a group of “drunk men” to leave the bar around 4 a.m., and an armed suspect later came back inside the bar and opened fire. Roberson, who was armed, apprehended the suspect outside, witnesses told the station. He then requested back-up from Midlothian police, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office said.
A witness told the station Roberson was holding the suspect on the ground when one of the two responding officers fatally shot him.
Four other people, including the shooter, suffered non-life threatening injuries, WGN-TV reported. Midlothian police confirmed one of its two responding officers opened fire, however, the officer's identity was not released.
Police said Roberson had a firearm owner's identification card, but didn't have a concealed-carry license. Friends described Roberson as an upstanding man who was training to become a police officer. He also was a musician and played several instruments for Chicago-area church bands.