Sheriffs: Brandon Jackson's Brother Has Gang Ties; No Suspects

There are still no suspects in the slaying of Altadena teenager Brandon Jackson, who was shot and killed in February, but detectives of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said Wednesday that Jackson's twin brother has gang affiliations.

Detectives in the case, along with Sheriff Lee Baca, addressed reporters in a press conference in which they pleaded with witnesses of the shooting or people with any other pertinent information to come forward--a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest has been issued.

Det. Adon Torres told Altadena Patch on Wednesday that police have reached a dead end in their investigation and need help from the public.

Torres said that Jackson's killing is likely gang related, and his brother's gang affiliation could be a factor in the case.  Lt. Dave Dolson, his supervising officer, said it might even be possible that Jackson's murderers could have mistaken him for his brother, though he said police do not have any definitive evidence that this is true.

What is certain, Dolson said at the press conference, is that there are people who know more about the identity of the killers who have not come forward.

"We know there is information out there about this murder," Dolson said.

Call With Information

Anybody with information is being urged to contact Det. Torres at 323-890-5500 or call the anonymous Crime Stoppers tip line at (800) 222-TIPS.

Jackson, an 18-year-old student at John Muir High School who played fullback and linebacker, when he was walking home from a party on the night of Feb. 12.

At least two people in a red Dodge Neon drove up to Jackson and shot him once in the chest, according to detectives.

Jackson was brought to a local hospital but died from his wounds.  , and family of his talked about him turning his life around in recent years.

Following his shooting, there were various other non-fatal shootings both in Altadena and Pasadena.  Detectives said Wednesday, as they have in the past, that those were likely retaliations for Jackson's shooting, with local gangs targeting each other's members.

Det. Torres said Wednesday that while they see the shootings as gang-related retaliation, a clearer picture of who is doing what has not emerged.

"It's just back and forth, with no pattern," Torres said.

Operation Targeted Suspects

A joint operation in April targeted the perpetrators of some of those shootings, and led to (another suspect was arrested later in the month, and one of the ).

During the April operation, Brandon Jackson's home was searched, with police citing "gang ties," but no information about Jackson's brother was released at that time.  Detectives have always said that Brandon Jackson was not a gang member.  Jackson's brother has not been identified as a suspect or a "person of interest" in any shooting.

At Wednesday's press conference, Jackson's aunt, Cynthia Brown, also addressed reporters.  She said Jackson's brother is struggling to cope with his death.

"He has not begun to look at his brother as gone," Brown said. "He cries a lot and comes and lays on my bed and cries."

She urged anyone with information to come forward and asked that anyone still thinking about retaliation to let the police handle the situation.

When asked if she had a message for Brandon's killers, Brown said:

"To the driver of the car, every time you drive and look in your rear view mirror I hope you see an image of Brandon laying there, left to die."