Former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal contributed $5,000 last week to the $30,000 reward to find the gunman who shot a police officer in Henry County, Georgia.
The fund is part of an effort to find the suspect, 22-year-old Jordan Jackson, in the shooting that occurred when police officer Paramhans Desai was making an arrest while responding to a domestic disturbance on Thursday, police said.
Desai survived the shooting but remains in critical condition, according to CBS News.
“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,” Henry County Sheriff Reginald Scandrett said in a news conference. “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.”
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An arrest warrant has been issued for Jackson for aggravated assault charges, according to the sheriff’s department.
Desai, who is married with two children, has served in law enforcement for 17 years, according to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. Before joining the Henry County Police Department, Desai worked for the Georgia Department of Corrections and the DeKalb County Police Department.
The reward was announced Friday and is being partially funded by contributions from the Henry County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Marshals Office at $10,000 donations apiece. Crime Stoppers Atlanta and O’Neal each donated $5,000.
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O’Neal, who has lived in Henry County for five years and was hired by the sheriff’s department as the director of community engagement in February, has made headlines for donations in the past.
O’Neal gave a waitress a $4,000 tip, paid for a young man’s engagement ring, and donated a house to the family of a 12-year-old boy who was paralyzed after being shot in 2019.
“This is something that I do every day,” O’Neal said about paying for the ring. “I’m into making people happy. Whenever I leave the house, I try to do a good deed.”
