Who killed Swavy? TikToker’s family says he was victim of 'senseless gun violence' at 19
WILMINGTON, DELAWARE: Popular TikTok star Swavy, whose real name was Matima Miller, was shot dead on Monday, July 5, 2021, according to reports. The 19-year-old dancer, whose videos fetched over 98 million likes on social media, was killed in Wilmington, Delaware. A tribute shared by Miller's family on his Instagram page mourns the tragic death of the young star, and also claims that he was killed in a "senseless act of gun violence."
Swavy's death was also grieved by his friends and hundreds of fans on social media. One of his closest friends, Damaury Mikula, posted a YouTube video where he tearfully shared, "He got shot and I just want to let you all know that I’m about to take over for that [expletive]. All he did was make videos bro. He is real as hell." A memorial fundraiser in his name was also started on GoFundMe, which had already raised $18,976 out of its $20,000 goal in just one day, at the time of writing this.
READ MORE
Who is Derek Frazier? 'Big Brother' housemate first shot to fame with drunken TikTok video
Who was Swavy?
Swavy aka Babyface was a young dancer who gained immense popularity through TikTok, where he had over 2.3 million followers. The 19-year-old star was known for his comedy sketches and dance videos and boasted over 455,000 followers on Instagram. He regularly posted photos of himself on social media with cool captions.
Swavy had posted his last video just a day before his shooting. He appeared happy in the video, where he smiled and danced as he asked fans which of his pictures was their favorite. He also shared a series of photos on Instagram barely a week prior to his shooting.
His family issued an official statement about his death that read as follows: "On the behalf of our family, we would like to say thank you for the continued support and love for Matima Miller also known as Swavy or Babyface. It is with great sadness that we announce Swavy’s passing on 07/05/2021. He was taken away from us due to a senseless act of gun violence. Unfortunately, due to legality we are not able to provide much information on the events surrounding his passing. However, the family is working diligently to get justice for Swavy. This is just the beginning, we will forever keep his name alive and continue his legacy! The impact he had on others remains unmatched [100 emoji] out of respect for our family we ask that you please refrain from reporting false or unconfirmed information about Swavy. Official updates will come from this page, @1heavy_stepper or @___chynab."
Meanwhile, Swavy's TikTok account was suspended for unknown reasons and his family members failed to retrieve it. They appealed to his followers to help out in getting his content back. "This isn’t right he didn’t violate any guidelines. His page is his legacy! All of the content that he created and all the people he touched, this needs to be resolved. Please help my family by emailing TikTok, tagged them to this post and sharing. This is too much stress at one time," his family posted.
Who killed Swavy?
Swavy was reportedly shot at 10:42 am on July 5, 2021, near 700 block of Elbert Place in Wilmington. Wilmington police investigated the fatal shooting incident from Monday morning and identified Swavy as the victim. They further informed that he was alive after the shooting and was rushed to the hospital, where he eventually succumbed to his injuries.
His family did not divulge further details about the shooting owing to legal restrictions. On his GoFundMe memorial page, organizer Rahkim Clark wrote, "...the family is working diligently to get justice for Swavy. This is just the beginning."
It is unclear who was the culprit behind the shooting and the investigation is still ongoing. However, anyone with knowledge of the shooting has been asked to contact Mackenzie Kirlin (302) 576-3653 or Delaware Crime Stoppers at 800-TIP-3333 or delawarecrimestoppers.com.