Already have an account?
Get back to the

Janelle Monae Mourns the Drive-By Shooting of Her Cousin: ‘Gun Violence Has Struck Home’

Janelle Monae
Janelle Monae hosts Fem The Future Brunch in 2016.Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images

Janelle Monáe mourned the drive-by shooting death of her cousin Natasha Hays in a series of tweets on Wednesday, August 31.

“Gun violence has struck home,” the 30-year-old singer tweeted. “My beautiful 1st cousin was murdered. She was a mother of 3. Loved by her community. #NatashaHays #sayhername.”

Related: PHOTOS: Most Shocking Celebrity Deaths of All Time

“#KansasCity #Gunviolence is still keeping our city in a dark place,” Monáe continued. “The fear of ‘who is next?’ never leaves. Praying4more light. Help us." 

"Nobody deserves to lose their mother, sister, cousin, friend, etc to the hands of evil. Evil has no race. #Gunviolence #NatashaHays.”

According to FOX4KC, Hays, a 38-year-old mother of three teens, was sleeping at her home at around 3:45 a.m. Tuesday when someone fired shots into her bedroom, killing her.

“Whoever did this is a coward,” Hays’ cousin Candice Berger told the site. “They just took her life. … I mean, it’s just wrong, it’s just wrong, in a cowardly way.”

Related: PHOTOS: Stars at Court

According to Berger, Hays’ three children, age 18, 16 and 14, woke up to the sound of gunfire and called out to Hays; when she didn’t answer, the 14-year-old went into her room and discovered she was dead.

“How would you feel if you woke up and your mom’s gone and you found her like that,” Berger continued. “What nightmares do you think they are going to have now?”

Related: PHOTOS: Celebrity Deaths in 2016: Stars We’ve Lost

The news site reports that family members say they believe they know who fired the shots, and that a few days ago, Hays had said she felt threatened by this person.

Monáe added this sentiment in her string of tweets on Wednesday: “Hearing your uncle on the phone while he tries to make sense of his daughter being murdered is the most helpless feeling in the entire world.”

In this article

Got a Tip form close button
Got a tip for US?
We're All Ears for Celebrity Buzz!