HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – It has been over a decade since a 16-year-old boy was shot in the head in Broward County and detectives haven’t arrested the culprit.
Jacob Rivera was declared brain dead after his killer ambushed him on July 12, 2013, near Johnson Street and North 66th Avenue in Hollywood. He died in the hospital days later, according to police.
Recommended Videos
On Thursday, Broward County Crime Stoppers and anonymous donors increased the reward to $26,000 for information leading to an arrest in the case.
Jacob Rivera’s brother Walter Rivera told Local 10 News on July 12, 2022, that he regularly visits the sidewalk where Jacob was shot and leaves rose petals in his memory.
“I come (on) Christmas; I come see him all the time,” he said.
Jacob saved six lives after he donated his organs. Walter Rivera said that helped his family deal with their grief, but they haven’t been at peace knowing Jacob’s murder is going unpunished.
“We are still here! We are still looking! We are not going to stop,” Walter Rivera told Local 10 last July.
Local 10 News obtained surveillance video that showed a man running away moments after the shooting. It appeared to be a male with a shirt wrapped around his head.
A relative suspected that Jacob’s killer was also linked to the murders of Donavin Johnson, Michael Baker and Andre Kemp.
To this day, no arrests in all four cases have been made.
Walter Rivera says the mystery behind who pulled the trigger haunts his family.
“I forgive him, but my mother is hurting. She really needs closure,” he said last July.
Detectives are asking anyone with information about the murders to call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477.