Rapper The Game donates to slain Moreno Valley girl's funeral

Rapper The Game donates to slain Moreno Valley girl’s funeral

By Kate Mather and Angel Jennings

Sept. 11, 2013 7:17 AM PT

Saying the “very sad” story of a 6-year-old girl shot and killed in Moreno Valley “hit me in a place nothing ever has,” Compton rapper The Game has pledged $10,000 to Tiana Ricks’ family for her funeral, his representative confirmed to The Times.

The 33-year-old, whose real name is Jayceon Terrell Taylor, posted a picture of the smiling girl on his Instagram account Tuesday, saying he read Tiana’s story while in Australia and “immediately” tracked down her mother. When he learned the family was trying to raise money to cover the funeral, the rapper wrote, he called his accountant.

“To lose a child is to lose your soul,” The Game told The Times in a statement. “My prayers are with her family.”

Witnesses told KTLA-TV that Tiana and her father, Tyrell Ricks Jr., 26, were standing in the driveway of a Moreno Valley home Sunday when two men walked up, confronted them and opened fire.

Tiana died later at a hospital, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said.

An investigation into the incident is ongoing. Riverside County Sheriff’s Sgt. Lisa McConnell said Tuesday that the fatal shooting could “possibly be gang-related,” but said Tiana’s father was not believed to be involved in gang activity.

On his Instagram account, The Game urged prayers for the girl’s family. Tiana’s mother did not immediately have a comment, but told the rapper on her own Instagram account, “Thank you so much.”

“My sincerest condolences to you & your family Marquia,” The Game wrote, addressing Tiana’s mother. “Glad that I could be of some help... I don’t know what else to say, but @therobinhoodproject got you!”

The Robin Hood Project references a pledge the rapper made Monday — also posted to Instagram and Twitter — that he would give away $1 million before Christmas, apparently inspired by an encounter with a boy he met in Australia. The Game wrote the money would go “to people I come in contact with around the world.”

“Don’t even know if that’s possible, but I’ve set my heart on trying!!!” he wrote of his goal.

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Kate Mather

Kate Mather covered crime, policing and breaking news across Southern California before leaving The Times in 2018 to attend law school. A native of Lawrence, Kan., she studied journalism at USC before first joining The Times in 2011. Mather was part of the team of reporters that received a Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of the 2015 terrorist attack in San Bernardino, as well as the team that was a Pulitzer finalist for its reporting on a deadly 2014 rampage in Isla Vista, Calif.

Angel Jennings

As assistant managing editor for culture and talent, Angel Jennings oversees the Los Angeles Times’ Metpro and internship programs as well as works closely with HR and department heads to help manage a broad range of responsibilities, including tracking, recruiting, interviewing and selecting diverse candidates for job opportunities and advancing the company’s efforts to promote diversity, equity, inclusion and access. She also works across the newsroom on retention, training and career development efforts. Jennings previously worked as a reporter in Metro. She got her start in the Metpro program in 2011 and has since worked on assignments with many departments in the newsroom, including Metro, National, Calendar, Business and podcasts. She is a graduate of the University of Nebraska.

Rapper The Game donates to slain Moreno Valley girl’s funeral

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