NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal has added additional cash to the reward for the discovery of a suspect who shot and critically injured a police officer in Georgia.
In a tweet on Saturday, the Henry County Sheriff's Office said that O'Neal added an additional $5,000 to the reward for the finding of the suspect, identified as 22-year-old Jordan Jackson.
"A $10,000 reward from the HCSO a $10,000 reward from the U.S. Marshals Office, a $5,000 reward from Crime Stoppers Atlanta, and a $5,000 reward from Shaquille O'Neal is being offered for information leading to Jordan Jackson's arrest, for a total reward of $30,000," the Henry County Sheriff's Office wrote in the tweet.
In addition to being a four-time NBA champion, O'Neal also recently joined the Henry County Sheriff's Department as the director of community relations.
According to WGCL-TV in Georgia, the officer who was shot and critically injured was identified as 38-year-old Paramhans Desa, who joined the Henry County Police Department in October 2020.
The Henry County Police Department said in a press release that on November 4, at approximately 6 p.m. local time, officers responded to reports of a domestic dispute near Keys Ferry Road and Floresta Drive McDonough.
"Shortly after arriving, the officer attempted to arrest the suspect when the officer was shot," the press release, which was issued on November 5, said.
After shooting the officer, Jackson fled the scene in a white 2016 Honda Civic, with a license plate that read RXF0384, police said.
Police described Jackson as a 5-foot, 8-inch tall Black male, weighing around 165 pounds. According to the press release Jackson is considered "armed and dangerous."
After the shooting, an arrest warrant was issued for Jackson, accusing him of aggravated assault against a police officer.
On November 5, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) issued a "Blue Alert" for Jackson. "A Blue Alert is a public safety alert that is issued when a suspect has killed or seriously injured an officer and has not been apprehended," GBI said in a press release.
During a recent press conference, Henry County Sheriff Reginald Scandrett warned Jackson that he will be caught and brought to justice.
"Let me be crystal clear, we certainly will not tolerate any individual, regardless of who you are, coming to what we consider to be God's country of Henry County and harming any of our police officers in any kind of way," Scandrett said.
He continued, "Mr. Jackson, whatever hole you're in, I assure you we're coming to find you, we will place you in custody and we will bring you to justice immediately."
Newsweek reached out to the Henry County Sheriff's Department for further comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.
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