A teenager in Virginia has died after shooting himself in the head while filming a social media video.
Last week, 17-year-old Raleigh Freeman III, better known on the local rap scene as Rylo Huncho, was on an Instagram livestream when tragedy struck.
One video shows Huncho pretending to fire a gun and then slit his throat as he raps about the ‘homicide’ of another individual.
While talking to the camera, Huncho was flashing a handgun with a built-in laser. He then said, “F*** y’all, n***a,” pointed the gun at his head, and apparently accidentally pulled the trigger. The gun discharged with the livestream video still going.
Huncho was immediately raced to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in Suffolk, Virginia, the Direct reported, and it appears he clung to life for some time. Hours later, Twin Porter, described as a close “associate” of Huncho, reported on Facebook that Huncho had died.
“And to get a text saying he passed away is heartbreaking and to hear the mean things y’all are saying about Railey [sic] is so wrong on every level please god give his mother the strength to deal with the devastating pain she’s in,” Porter posted to Facebook on Thursday morning.
Because of the shocking nature of the livestream, the video of it then went viral on social media. Out of respect for the young man and his family, Blaze News is not sharing the video.
A GoFundMe page initiated by Monica Savage, who is believed to be Huncho’s cousin, claimed that Huncho was his mother’s only child. “Suicide/accidental was the cause of his death we are still trying to figure out why,” Savage wrote. The account has since accrued nearly $2,700 of its $15,000 goal.
A brief glance at Huncho’s TikTok page reveals that he made a lot of references to violence in the content he created. One video shows Huncho pretending to fire a gun and then slit his throat as he raps about the “homicide” of another individual. “I tryin’ cut dat n***a neck and watch that n***a f***in’ [die],” Huncho says in the video.
@rylohuncho Im tryna cut that nicca neck n watch that nicca fuccin die 👨🏾🦯
In another TikTok video, Huncho raps about drinking heavily and carrying a weapon. “B***h, I walk up in this school sippin’ dirty lemonade. You know I feel just like a man cuz I walk off with a Glock,” he says.
Hip Hop Vibe reported that Huncho’s death “has sparked conversations about the responsibilities of social media platforms and the influence they have on young users.” The Direct indicated that investigation into his death remains “ongoing.”
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