The 'Heartless' rapper has made $150K on a GoFundMe page set up for Jemel Roberson who was shot to death by police officers when he pinned a gunman attacking a Chicago suburb bar.
- Nov 19, 2018
AceShowbiz - Kanye West has donated $150,000 (£116,000) to the family of a black security guard who was killed by police.
Jemel Roberson, 26, was on duty at Manny's Blue Room Lounge in Robbins, in the Chicago suburb of Midlothian, on November 11. During his shift, a gunman began attacking patrons in the bar, leading Roberson to step in and pin the shooter to the ground. When police officers attended the scene, the security guard was fatally shot by an officer.
Now, Kanye has shown his support for Roberson's family by making 10 donations of $15,000 (£11,680) on a GoFundMe page. The fund now stands at more than $303,000 (£236,000), double what Roberson's family originally intended on raising.
A fan account took a photo of the 41-year-old rapper's donations and shared the screenshot on Instagram.
"This is why i love kanye too much (sic)," wrote one user, while another commented: "This will be overlooked just like everything else he does."
Midlothian police chief Daniel Delaney confirmed Roberson's shooting, and said the officer who fired the fatal shot "encountered a subject with a gun".
It was reported by several media outlets that the security guard was carrying a licenced weapon at the time and was using it to restrain the gunman.
Family attorney Gregory Kulis said in a statement to Chicago TV station WLS that Roberson, who was father to a nine-month-old baby boy, was simply "trying to save people's lives".
Roberson's mother, Beatrice, has since filed a lawsuit against the unnamed police officer and the Midlothian Police Department, alleging the violation of her son's federal civil rights.
According to editors at CNN, she is seeking more than $1 million in damages. The shooting is under investigation by officers at the Illinois State Police.
