Touched by NC girl's death, Shaq pays for funeral

[tericared]

 

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (AP) -- Basketball star Shaquille O'Neal paid for the funeral of a 5-year-old North Carolina girl after being moved by national news coverage of the case of Shaniya Davis, who police say was kidnapped and killed.

The Cleveland Cavaliers player was touched by the stories he saw and got in touch with the family to see what he could do to help, a spokeswoman for O'Neal said Thursday.

More than 2,000 people attended the girl's funeral Sunday. Her body was found Nov. 16 beside a rural road.

Her mother, Antionette Davis, who had reported the child missing six days earlier, is charged with human trafficking and child abuse involving prostitution. Mario McNeill is charged with murder, rape and kidnapping in the case.

"I was sitting at home watching it on the news and the story brought a tear to my eye," O'Neal told The Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper.

Corey Breece, of Rogers and Breece Funeral Home, which handled the service, declined to tell the Fayetteville Observer newspaper how much it cost but added that a child's funeral "averages around $4,500."

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_GIRL_DISAPPEARS_NC_SHAQ?SITE=IADES&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2009-11-26-11-30-21

[sweetie00]

Terica,your'e just a postin' fool today.  Love it! LOL

This story is heartbreaking. What a wonderful gesture on Shaqs part.

[tericared]

I thought it was a very sweet thing for him to do.... 

[Allebas]

What a TRULY, TRULY WONDERFUL man Shaq is!!!! WOW!! Now this family does NOT have to worry about how they are going to pay for this precious little girls funeral!!! I wish there were MORE WONDERFUL and GENEROUS ppl out there like Shaq!!! May God Bless you Shaq!!

May that precious little girl RIP. That was a HORRIBLE thing that happened to her. The ppl involved WILL PAY DEARLY!!! Karma is a B*TCH!!!!

[heathermarie32]

Wow! How sweet of him! 

[Sagely]

That is so thoughtful of him.  He ensured that baby girl at least received a proper funeral.

This whole story just makes me sick.  I say they put the mother and the rapist in a room with women who have been sexually abused.  And just...let things happen.  Or with that guy who shot his own son who was begging for mercy after he had "inappropriate sexual contact" with his 3 year old sister.  Except don't give the guy a gun.  Let him be creative.