The family of a Georgia woman killed at an ATM is receiving assistance from film director Tyler Perry.
WSBTV-Atlanta reports the family of Tynesha Evans, a single mother of four, faced eviction from their apartment shortly before her death. In addition, her 18-year-old daughter, Sharadiant Turner, a Spelman College student, considered dropping out of school due to lack of funds.
Falling on hard times, Evans turned to her boyfriend, Othniel Inniss, who promised to give her money toward her rent. But when she arrived at the bank on March 16 to meet Inniss, the man fatally shot and killed her just steps from the ATM.
Evans’ family set up a GoFundMe account asking for support to prevent them from losing their home, writing, “My mom was the breadwinner of our home, please see it in your heart to keep us in our home and put my mother to rest decently and not be homeless in a few weeks. We have to raise our two teenage sisters, please see it in your heart to assist. God Bless.”
After hearing of the tragedy, Perry reached out to the family to offer his condolences and assist them financially as they grieve the loss of their family matriarch.
"It was a call I wasn't even going to answer. I said, 'Well, let me answer it to see who it is.' I answered and the person on the other end said, 'This is Tyler.' I said, 'Who?' He said, 'This is Tyler.' I said, 'Tyler who?' and he said, 'Tyler Perry.' At that point, I just broke down crying," said Evans' daughter Audrey Turner.
Perry will fly Evans’ body back to her home state of Wisconsin, where family and friends will hold her funeral. The filmmaker will also cover daughter Sharadiant’s college tuition, assuring she will be able to make her mother proud.
"I'm going to do what she wanted me to do. She started me on math and now I’m going to get to graduate with a mathematics degree from Spelman College without debt, it means everything.”
Inniss, 58, was arrested at the scene of the shooting Saturday and has been charged with murder and aggravated assault with a firearm.
