In a tragic turn of events, popular online personality and rapper Rylo Huncho, a.k.a. Raleigh Freeman III, accidentally shot himself while creating online video content for his Instagram. Rylo Huncho was seen toying with a gun in an Instagram livestream when his gun accidentally went off. The bullet pierced his head, and the whole incident was recorded live.
Freeman, who was only 17, was rushed to a hospital 15 miles from Parker Riddick/Cypress Manor in Suffolk, Virginia, to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, where he succumbed to his gunshot wounds shortly.
Watch the video of Rylo Huncho accidentally shooting himself
Freeman’s death was confirmed by one of his associates, Twin Porter, on Facebook. A GoFundMe campaign has been initiated, and so far, the online fundraiser has collected over $2,500 with a goal of $15,000.
A candlelight memorial was organized on the evening of Sunday, May 19, by his friends and family, who had gathered to pray and remember the talented young man.
Kara Dorsey, an educator who was close to the rapper’s family, posted her tribute online and also asked her students to “honor the legacy of their friend” and “to push through to graduation day and continue fulfilling their goals.”
Kara Dorsey said,
“I tried to encourage them to honor the legacy of their friend and to continue being the thoughtful and polite young men they’d been in my only interaction with them…to push through to graduation day and continue fulfilling their goals. I told them that, while this won’t ease their pain or bring him back, it will honor him and bring joy to their grieving family during this time.”
She also rued the fact that often educators like her have to endure such tragedies, and no amount of words can accurately describe the tragedy which the family members are going through in such situations.
Kara said,
“I’ve learned quite recently that there’s never a ‘right’ thing to say to someone when they’ve lost a loved one, so I reminded them that being strong doesn’t mean not crying and that they’re always welcome in my classroom if they need a quiet space or someone to talk to.”
She also appealed to the public to donate generously to the GoFundMe campaign for the rapper, and if not possible, to try to share the message with as many people as possible.
Rylo Huncho is survived by his mother, and his death is assumed to be an accidental suicide. The investigation is ongoing.
The police, who are investigating the case, have not named the rapper, but the account under which the video was posted, and his Instagram handle shows that he was known as rapper Rylo Huncho. Police have termed the incident as death by “accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound” to the head.
