George GuerreroThe sister of a trucker shot to death last Saturday on Interstate 10 in Jacksonville, Fla is frustrated that the killer is still on the loose, and tipsters have been complaining that they can’t contact Crime Stoppers to report information about the senseless murder.
Both Crime Stoppers of Northeast Florida and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office confirmed that callers have been complaining about being disconnected and placed on hold for long periods of time while attempting to phone in tips about the shooting death of New Jersey resident George Guerrero, according to new4jax.com.
Authorities report that it appears that Guerrero, 44, was the victim of a road rage incident. According to witnesses, road construction on the east-bound side of I-10 on Saturday near Exit 351 required Guerrero to change from the right to left lane. When he did, he apparently upset a trucker that had been in the left lane at the time. When Guerrero got back over into the right lane, this trucker pulled up alongside Guerrero’s truck, bumped it and then shot Guerrero three times, including once in the head.
The suspect, described by witnesses as a black man with a beard, had been driving an orange 2000 to 2005 Freightliner Century flattop sleeper cab with a 53-foot dirty white trailer. The sheriff’s office released a picture similar to the suspect’s truck and have sent out alerts around the country, including weigh stations and truck stops. However, despite the hundreds of tips they’ve received, nothing has led them to Guerrero’s killer.
Meanwhile, Dina Guerrero, told nj.com that she’s angry and sad and wants her brother’s killer brought to justice.
“I know he’s out there somewhere,” she said. “The guy is an animal. He took another human being’s life. That guy needs to pay.”
The head of Crime Stoppers of Northeast Florida, Wyllie Hodges, said the organization’s call center problems in Canada were unacceptable and that he’d be looking into the matter. The call center arrangement allows tipsters to remain anonymous, whereas calls placed to the sheriff’s office are not because they’re considered public record.
“That is a serious issue with us, because that’s what we’re all about is taking calls about crime. And the last thing that we need to do is (have) people be disenchanted about calling because they didn’t get the service that they require and need,” Hodges said.
The sheriff’s office reports that they’ve received hundreds of tips. One call led them to an orange Freightliner at a truck stop on Highway 301 in Waldo, Fla., but further investigation revealed that it was not the suspect’s truck.
Guerrero’s cousin, Blanca Clendenin, who lives in Florida and picked up his dog at a shelter this week in Jacksonville, said she continues to look for that orange Freightliner.
“Every time I get out on the highway, I just keep looking, could that be it, could that be him?” she told actionnewsjax.com.
