JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The reward for information leading to the arrest of whoever shot Jaguars offensive tackle Richard Collier jumped from $1,000 to $11,000 on Tuesday after teammates and friends donated to the fund.
Collier has been in critical condition since he was shot several times early Sept. 2 as he and a former Jaguars player were sitting in Collier's SUV outside a Riverside apartment.
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"People will tell you a little things for a little money and a lot of things for a lot of money," said Crime Stoppers Executive Director Wyllie Hodges said Tuesday afternoon. "It's unfortunately that you have to bait that hook sometimes with dollars, but that's what works."
Police have not released many details of the case, other than Collier was shot several times about 2:45 a.m. in the 2300 block of Riverside Avenue while he and Kenneth Pettway were waiting for two women who they had met earlier that night at a nightclub.
Police said at the time they had no suspects in the case. At Tuesday's news conference, the lead detective in the case said he believes the attacker was after Collier.
"I think it's fair to say that Mr. Collier was the target of this assault," detective Dennis Sullivan said.
Sheriff John Rutherford said information about the shooting is not being released is "it would taint the witnesses who may come forward."
"We want to be sure that we're not feeding a tip," Rutherford said.
The only new information Rutherford would address at Tuesday's news conference is that there were no reports that Collier or Pettway were involved in any confrontations while visiting clubs earlier in that evening.
At the request of Collier's family, no additional information about the player's condition is being released.
Collier's agent said on Friday that Collier remains in intensive care, in critical but stable condition.
"They weren't sure he was going to make it through that first night." Jeff Jankovich said last week. "There may be more surgery needed, but it seems encouraging at this point."
Collier, a former Valdosta State standout, was in his third year with the Jaguars.
"When it hits at home, you can really feel it," running back Fred Taylor said before the Jaguars opening game against Tennessee. "The thing that happened in Denver last year (Darrent Williams' murder), the thing that happened with Sean (Taylor) and a few other things that happened in the past with traffic accidents and stuff, you hear it and say, 'Damn, I feel sorry for that person and his family,' and you just go on with your daily routines and life. But when it hits right here in your back yard, it's like, 'Damn, this is real.' We take a lot of things for granted, but this is real. Life is precious, and it's short."
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 866-845-TIPS. Crime Stoppers will also accept tips at their Web site or by text message: text the word CRIMES, then put TIP326, then the information.
Previous Stories:
- September 5, 2008: Report: Collier Making Gradual Improvement
- September 2, 2008: Jaguars Tackle Critical After Shooting