SUFFOLK, Va. — In response to questions about a viral video involving a local rapper, police and family members confirm a 17-year-old died last week in Suffolk following a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Since late last week, 13News Now received multiple tips that a teenager and aspiring rap artist from Hampton Roads fatally shot himself while recording a video on social media. That video has since been shared and reposted many times across multiple social media platforms, even appearing organically as a trending video in the social media feeds of some 13News Now staff members.
Family members of the teen told 13News Now that 17-year-old Raleigh Freeman III, of Suffolk, is the person who appears in that video. His mother, Monica Savage, said Raleigh went by the stage name "Rylo Huncho."
13News Now also reached out to the Suffolk Police Department and asked if an incident like that had happened in the city.
While police would not confirm the identity of the persons involved, a spokeswoman said there was an incident involving a 17-year-old and a self-inflicted gunshot wound on May 15 around 10 p.m. Police said the teen was taken to a local hospital and later died there.
Suffolk police also said that based on a preliminary investigation, the shooting appeared to be an accident.
In recent months, there have been multiple shootings across Hampton Roads involving juveniles handling firearms. Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate recently raised concerns about the increasing number of children having access to guns.
"The amount of firearms on juveniles ... that we see in Hampton Roads, is disturbing," Neudigate said last March.
Clay Marquez, the founder of the Norfolk anti-violence organization "Guns Down," told 13News Now recently that he has also seen more young people get ahold of guns.
“Kids are curious," Marquez said. "They watch these videos on TV, and they hear about the violence. They don’t realize how real it is pulling that trigger.”
Marquez said this is why it’s important to properly store guns.
“Just be more conscious... of where we’re putting these firearms at, just in a safer place," Marquez said.
Police said the Suffolk shooting incident remains under investigation.