Porn star Saiveon Hopkins, known as Jay Hefner, shot dead age 24 as girlfriend says she's 'never felt hurt like it'

The family of Jay Hefner, whose real name was Saiveon Hopkins, say they have lost a “shining light” when he was killed in a “senseless act of gun violence” at the weekend.

The 24-year-old was in Nebraska to celebrate a loved one's birthday when the incident unfolded. While defending his cousin from violence, the adult star was reportedly gunned down on the street in Lincoln about 1.30am on Sunday (September 8). He was taken to hospital but, despite receiving medical attention, he died from his injuries about 5.40am. Father-of-one Hopkins, who had a 10-month-old daughter, had travelled from his home in Ontario, Canada, for the birthday celebration and was due to return home this weekend. Hopkins' girlfriend Madi Murchison shared a tribute to her late beau online hours after his death, saying she learned of his death when his mum phoned her. She wrote: “I've never felt this type of hurt and idk (I don't know) how to get through it.

She also said her boyfriend was her “safe place” who “showed [her] love [she’d] never experienced”.  She went on: “This one hurts, my heart is completely broken. . . you made sure to vocalize your love every single day.”

A GoFundMe page has been set up for Hopkins' grieving family, including terminally ill mum Jeni Brown, to help them pay for the funeral. It has been set up by a close friend of Brown, Kyra Miller.

On the page, she wrote: 'It’s never easy to lose a loved one but losing a child is the most painful loss one can ever experience. My close friend Jeni Brown, lost her son due to a senseless act of gun violence while trying to protect his cousin from physical violence. Saiveon was a shining light that was there for everyone who loved him.”

Miller said Hopkins cared for his young daughter, who “adored him”, and also his terminally ill mum and his siblings.

Explaining why she had set up the GoFundMe page, she went on: “Due to the financial strain already placed on the family for Jeni’s medical care and the unexpected passing, I am wanting to help raise funds to relieve them of the financial burden during an already devastating time. Funerals can be costly and we would like to honor Saiveon in a way that he deserves.”

In addition to his work in the adult film industry, Hopkins recently completed a course to become a “veneer tech”, and worked as a model for Fashion Nova.