Barry Lee Brooks Jr., known as BJ, was 19 when he was shot and killed in Jacksonville, Florida, on November 19, 2007. He and his girlfriend had been visiting a friend at the Mission Springs Apartments when two men in hoodies approached them. The men took BJ’s cross necklace and money and then escalated their threats toward his girlfriend. BJ intervened; during a struggle one of the men produced a gun and shot him. He was taken to a hospital and died that night.

BJ was a swim coach at two elementary schools and loved the arts—dance, poetry and drawing. He was the youngest of three siblings; his family describes him as protective and compassionate. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is re-examining forensic evidence with newer technology and the family urges anyone with information to come forward.

Does anyone have information about the Mission Springs Apartments incident or the two men in hoodies that could help this investigation?