HOUSTON – Philadelphia Eagles quarterback and Texas native Jalen Hurts came through in a time of grief for a Houston-area family whose 18-year-old son was shot and killed outside a house party at the start of Spring Break.
Hurts is a graduate of Channelview High School, not quite 20 miles east of Houston. A source confirmed to NBC affiliate KPRC 2 Hurts covered the costs for the funeral and burial for North Shore High School football star Jarvon Coles on March 16.
Coles was killed in a drive-by shooting while he was leaving a house party in Humble, Texas, on March 9.
His friends said fireworks had gone off outside, which caused everyone to hit the ground. Coles never got back up.
It’s not clear who shot and killed Coles. Investigators are reviewing home security camera footage and interviewing witnesses but have not released any information about any leads in the case.
As they continue to mourn the death of football player Jarvon Coles, @NSNationFB appreciates what Jalen Hurts did to help in the wake of this tragedy @KPRC2 https://t.co/2xGrRrkVr7
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) March 19, 2024
North Shore is a leading program in the Texas high school football community, and campuses across the state are mourning the loss. Coles was noted as a great student, player, and a team captain on his football team.
He had recently received offers to join football programs at several universities and had planned to attend Lamar University, according to his family.
His family beams with pride remembering Coles, who they also called “Veezy.”
“You always think yours is special, but he was really special,” his grandfather Braxton Coles told KPRC 2. “You don’t realize it until other people tell you. And, you know, through this tragedy, it’s been such an outpouring of love from the community, from everywhere, really all over the country to show that he was that kid.”
“He was the type of person that everybody should strive to be like,” added family friend Domenique Mitchell.
Coles’ funeral was held at The Light of the World Christian Fellowship Church in Humble, Texas on Saturday, March 16.
Hurts has not commented on the gesture.