TOM: IT HAS BEEN NEARLY
SEVEN YEARS SINCE RICHARD
COLLIER WAS SHOT 14 TIMES
OUTSIDE AN APARTMENT BUILDING IN
RIVERSIDE.
HE WAS LEFT PARALYZED FROM THE
WAIST DOWN AND HIS LEFT LEG
LATER HAD TO BE AMPUTATED.
THE GUNMAN, WHO IS SERVING LIFE
IN PRISON, WAS CAUGHT SOON AFTER
THE SHOOTING, THANKS TO AN
ANONYMOUS TIP TO FIRST COAST
CRIME STOPPERS.
MARY: JOY IS HERE NOW WITH
MORE ON WHY YOU CAN TRUST YOUR
IDENTITY WILL NOT BE REVEALED IF
YOU CALL IN A CRIME TIP.
JOY?
JOY: MANY PEOPLE DON'T KNOW
WHEN YOU CALL CRIME STOPPERS,
YOU'RE GIVEN A CODE NUMBER AND
THAT'S THE ONLY WAY THE
ORGANIZATION CAN IDENTIFY YOU,
AND IT'S WHAT YOU USE TO COLLECT
YOUR CASH REWARD IF YOUR TIP
LEADS TO AN ARREST, BUT MOST
IMPORTANTLY, YOUR TIP CAN CHANGE
A CRIME VICTIM'S LIFE FOR THE
BETTER.
TONIGHT, THE FORMER NFL PLAYER
AND A GRIEVING LOCAL MOTHER,
THEY BOTH TELL US FIRSTHAND HOW
A CALL TO FIRST COAST CRIME
STOPPERS HELPED GIVE THEM HOPE.
RICHARD COLLIER WAS THE
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS PROMISING
OFFENSIVE LINEMAN.
I HEARD FIVE GUNSHOTS.
The Reporter: WHOSE CAREER
ENDED SUDDENLY IN 2008, WHEN HE
WAS SHOT 14 TIMES IN A RIVERSIDE
NEIGHBORHOOD.
PARALYZING COLLIER FROM THE
WAIST DOWN.
COLLIER REMEMBERS BEING TOLD
THAT ANONYMOUS TIPPED CALLED
INTO FIRST COAST CRIME STOPPERS
JUST A MONTH LATER, LED TO THE
SHOOTER'S ARREST.
I THOUGHT IT WAS INCREDIBLE
THAT SOMEBODY, YOU KNOW, WANTED
TO HELP, YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY WHO
I PROBABLY DON'T EVEN KNOW,
STILL DON'T KNOW TO THIS DAY,
YOU KNOW, I WOULD SAY THANK YOU.
NEARLY SEVEN YEARS LATER, AS
HIS SHOOTER SERVES A LIFE
SENTENCE, COLLIER SAYS HE
UNDERSTANDS WHY SOMEONE WOULD
WANT TO REMAIN UNKNOWN, AFTER
CALLING CRIME STOPPERS.
THIS IS TOTALLY ANONYMOUS,
YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT OF
COURSE, YOU KNOW, SEEING, JUST
HURT, YOU GIVE A TIP AND THEY
COULD POTENTIALLY HELP SOMEBODY
AND MEND THEIR LIVES.
FOR DARLENE, THAT FACT IS A
LITTLE FRUSTRATING.
I WOULD HAVE EVEN MORE
CLOSURE IF I GET TO MEET THE
PERSON THAT CALLED IN.
HER 20-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER
SHELBY WAS SHOT IN THE HEAD AND
KILLED, DURING AN APPARENT
ROBBERY IN JULY OF 2013, WHILE
WORKING AT A METRO PCS STORE ON
MAIN STREET.
JUST A MINUTE RHODES IS
CURRENTLY -- JAMES RHODES IS
CURRENTLY FIGHTING THE FIRST
DEGREE MURDER CHARGE DENSE HIM.
HE WAS ARRESTED DAYS AFTER THE
SHOOTING WHEN SOMEONE SECRETLY
CALLED IN A TIP TO FIRST COAST
CRIME STOPPERS.
WHOEVER YOU ARE, I THINK
ABOUT YOU EVERY DAY, BECAUSE AS
HORRIFIC AS THE CRIME WAS,
THERE'S NO DOUBT IN MY MIND HE
PROBABLY WOULD HAVE KILLED
SOMEBODY ELSE, AND I JUST WANT
THEM TO KNOW, THEY SAVED OTHER
LIVES.
HAS ANYONE EVER GOTTEN A HOLD
OF THE PERSON THAT CALLED IN THE
TIP, HAS THAT PERSON EVER BEEN
CALLED INTO COURT.
YOU'VE BEEN TO COURT SO MANY
TIMES THROUGHOUT THIS WHOLE OR
DEEM.
NO MA'AM.
NEVER BEEN LISTED AS A WITNESS,
THEY'RE NOT ON THE WITNESS LIST,
NOTHING.
NOBODY KNOWS WHO IT IS.
WHEN THEY SAY YOU REMAIN
ANONYMOUS, YOU REALLY REMAIN
ANONYMOUS.
I KNOW FIRSTHAND -- I TRIED,
BECAUSE I WANTED TO GIVE HIM A
HUG AND THANK HIM PERSONALLY
MYSELF, AND CRIME STOPPERS DON'T
EVEN KNOW WHO IT IS THAT CALLED
IT IN.
The Reporter: NOW, BOTH
CRIME VICTIMS ENCOURAGE EVERYONE
TO USE THE TOOL THAT BROUGHT
THEM JUSTICE.
I COULDN'T IMAGINE THE GUY
WHO DID THIS TO ME, STILL
RUNNING AROUND FREE, YOU KNOW,
PEOPLE KNEW ABOUT IT AND NOT
SAYING ANYTHING.
IT TAKES BRAVERY TO DO ANYTHING
IN LIFE, BUT I THINK YOU'VE GOT
TO LOOK AT THE PEOPLE WHO ARE
VICTIMS, AND REALLY PUT THEM
INTO CONSIDERATION.
IF WE WANT TO GET OUR
COMMUNITY BACK, YOU HAVE TO STEP
UP AND WHEN YOU SEE SOMETHING,
PICK THE PHONE UP AND CALL.
CRIME STOPPERS.
I MEAN, YOU REALLY DO REMAIN
ANONYMOUS.
The Reporter: TOMORROW
MORNING AT 7:45 A.M., WE SHOW
YOU WHERE YOUR ANONYMOUS TIP
GOES WHEN YOU CALL THE CRIME
STOPPERS TOLL-FREE NUMBER.
EXACTLY HOW YOUR I'D FIGHT IS
NEVER -- IDENTITY IS NEVER KNOWN
AND HOW EASY IT IS FOR YOU TO
COLLECT THE CASH REWARD IF YOUR
CALL LEADS TO AN ARREST.
TOMORROW AT 7:45 A.M. ON THE
MORNING SHOW AND TOMORROW NIGHT
STARTING AT 5:00 P.M., RICHARD
COLLIER AND DARLENE, WHO YOU
JUST HEARD FROM IN MY STORY,
THEY'LL BE PART OF A PANEL
TAKING YOUR CALLS IN OUR
NEWS 4 JAX PHONE BANK.
WE ARE MAKING IT EASY FOR YOU TO
HELP FIGHT CRIME IN OUR AREA BY
CALLING IN A DONATION TO FIRST
COAST CRIME STOPPERS.
THAT MONEY WILL HELP GET THE
WORD OUT ABOUT THE PROGRAM AND
FUND REWARDS FOR TIPS.
OUR PHONE LINES WILL BE OPEN