A 17-year-old Virginia rapper, Rylo Huncho, whose real name was Raleigh Freeman III, accidentally shot himself while recording a music video for social media on May 16, 2024. The incident occurred in Suffolk, Virginia, leaving his family, friends, and the community in shock.
Freeman was creating content for his social media accounts when the accident happened. In a video posted to his Instagram story, he was seen handling a handgun, waving it around while showing off its built-in green laser sight and flashlight. The situation took a deadly turn when Freeman pointed the gun at his head, turned off the safety, and pulled the trigger, saying, “F*** y’all n****s.” The gun discharged, fatally wounding him.
Suffolk Police reported that a 17-year-old passed away from an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Freeman was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The video of the incident has since been removed from social media, but not before it caused a wave of grief and disbelief among his followers and the local community.
Freeman, who had 27,000 followers on Instagram and about 680 monthly listeners on Spotify, was known for his energetic performances and music that often featured violent and sexual imagery. His songs like “Money Getta” and “DOA” included lyrics about firearms and violence, reflecting a tough persona many young fans admired. However, the reality of his life was starkly different from the image he portrayed online.
Monica Savage, Freeman’s mother, spoke to the local media about the devastating loss of her only child. “When I came in the house and saw my son in his blood… I ran across the street, and I almost got hit by a car trying to save my son’s life,” she said tearfully. She described her son as an aspiring rapper who dreamed of a music career. “He had some nice music on YouTube. He raps really well,” she added.
Savage also mentioned that she had no idea her son had access to a gun. “I didn’t know he had a gun. I did not know he had that,” she stated. The police are still investigating how Freeman obtained the firearm and the exact circumstances leading to the accident.
Freeman’s family has set up a GoFundMe page to raise $15,000 to help cover his funeral expenses. The page, organized by family members Monica Savage and Diane Bryant, reads, “My aunt’s 17-year-old son recently died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. He was her only child. She was a single mother who did her best to care for him.” The fundraising effort has generated over $4500.
The community has shown an outpouring of support for Freeman’s family. A teacher from his school, Kara Dorsey, expressed her condolences and the tragedy’s impact on students. “Yesterday, our school community suffered a loss. Though I never met this young man, I met one of his close friends and older cousin today. They spent their lunch walking the halls quietly, asking staff members to share a GoFundMe to help his mother with the funeral expenses for her only child,” Dorsey wrote.
Friends and fans have turned to social media to share their grief and defend Freeman against negative remarks. Twin Porter, a friend, posted on Facebook, “It’s heartbreaking to receive a text saying he passed away, and it’s so wrong to hear the mean things people are saying about Railey. Please, God, give his mother the strength to cope with her pain.”
As the community mourns the loss of a talented young man, there is a growing call for more stringent measures to prevent such tragedies in the future.