ATLANTA _ Less than 24 hours after the family of a slain Alpharetta mother asked for financial help, actor and filmmaker Tyler Perry offered his support.
The children of 45-year-old Tynesha Evans, an author and full-time health care worker who was killed Saturday morning outside a downtown Alpharetta, Ga., bank, started a GoFundMe page Sunday to raise money to pay for her funeral and other bills. They were facing eviction from their apartment, Channel 2 Action News reported. Sharadiant Turner, 18, thought she may have to drop out of Spelman College.
After hearing their story, which first aired Sunday night on Channel 2, Perry reached out to the family and offered to take care of their rent, the news station reported. He also said he would arrange to fly Evans' body back home to Wisconsin for burial.
Shakemia Turner, 14, told the news station Perry was "an angel on Earth." It is not out of character for the "Madea" star to be generous. He has been known to pay off layaway items and purchase cars and even homes for people experiencing hardships. "There's really no words to describe how I feel," oldest daughter Audrey Turner, 26, said. "Because not only is he going to help my mom with her funeral, he's going to help with my living situation."
According to Channel 2, Perry also promised to take care of tuition for Sharadiant Turner, who is working toward a degree in mathematics. "It's everything because I didn't think I would be able to come back next year," she told the news station. "And just to know I can finish all four years and do what my mom always wanted me to do."
Evans was running errands with Sharadiant Turner on Saturday morning before she was killed. Her daughter said Evans dropped her off at a grocery store and assumed she would be waiting in the parking lot. Instead, she said Evans had to meet her on-again, off-again boyfriend, 58-year-old Othniel Inniss, at the Wells Fargo on North Main Street.
She promised to be right back, Sharadiant Turner said. Evans had fallen on hard times, her children said, and Inniss offered to help with some cash. She was shot in the parking lot of the bank just before noon. An armed witness driving by the bank heard the gunshot and held Inniss at gunpoint until Alpharetta police could arrive, authorities said. Inniss was arrested on charges of murder and aggravated assault with a firearm in connection with her death. He was scheduled to appear in Fulton County court Monday, but his hearing was reset due to a health issue, Channel 2 reported. The GoFundMe campaign for Evans' children has raised more than $48,000 of its $50,000 goal as of Tuesday.
