ORLANDO, Fla. – Orlando police are offering up to a $5,000 reward for information about the attackers of Bernard “BJ” Jackson, a man found nearly beaten to death on a Parramore street the day after Christmas.
Orlando police officers found Jackson off West Anderson Street in Orlando brutally beaten. The attack was so severe that he remains hospitalized, still recovering from his injuries.
Lynn Jackson, BJ Jackson’s sister, said her family is desperate for answers and wants whoever is responsible to come forward. “Whoever did this to my brother, they need to turn themselves in,” Lynn Jackson said.
She described the extent of her brother’s injuries, saying, “some of his brain was out. He lost a tooth in the beating. He lost an eye. The left side of his face is broken really bad.”
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BJ Jackson has been in the hospital since Orlando police found him badly battered off around 7:30 that morning. Lynn Jackson said her brother is her only living sibling and that the situation remains critical.
When asked if she is afraid of losing her brother, Lynn Jackson said, “Yes. If God doesn’t step in — yes.”
Police said BJ Jackson was last seen around 3:30 a.m. before the attack and is known to spend time in the South Parramore area. Investigators are hoping new information will come in now that they have announced a reward of up to $5,000 for tips in this aggravated battery case.
Lynn Jackson urged anyone with information to think about their own loved ones.
“If it happened to one of their family members, you’d want someone to come forward and tell what happened. That’s just the right thing to do,” she said.
I reached out to Orlando police for an update Sunday evening, but their media relations office is closed on weekends.
As soon as we hear back, we’ll let you know.