The family of Dalonte Lamont Jackson — a 35-year-old Black man from Washington, DC — continue to seek answers after he was found stabbed and beaten over Memorial Day weekend. According to NBC 4 Washington, the family suspects Jackson was a victim of a fatal LGBTQ+ hate crime because he was gay.
Meanwhile, Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department says, “There is no evidence to show this was a hate-bias incident.” While the investigation continues, police are offering a $25,000 reward for help in solving the case.
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According to reports, Jackson was attacked inside an apartment at the Paradise at Parkside Apartments complex on May 24. His body was then dumped in an alley off East Capitol Street. The location is a seven-minute drive from where the attack happened in Northeast D.C.
Washington, D.C. police officers responded to a call around 4:33 p.m. for a report of an unconscious person. Officers found Jackson with severe injuries, unconscious, but breathing. DC Fire and EMS transported Jackson to a local hospital, where he was placed on life support. He died on May 29 — 5 days after the attack and 9 days after his 35th birthday.
Family Of Dalonte Lamont Jackson Suspect He Was Beaten And Stabbed To Death For Being Gay
Family members continue seeking justice and an arrest. Jackson’s grandmother, Sharon Jones, told NBC 4:
“For them to take his body from this area to East Capitol Street and dump him like waste in the garbage? But someone, an angel, appeared there and called 911. His skull was crushed. He was stabbed numerous times. His leg and his arm was broken. Beat to death. This is horrific to me, the way they killed him. He didn’t deserve that.”
Jackson’s family believes he was targeted and lured to the apartment. They said he sent a disturbing text to a friend before he was killed, suggesting he knew he was in danger. Jackson’s aunt, Mottdricka Jackson said, “He texts them and he basically said, ‘I don’t feel safe, and if something happens, I am with X, Y.’”
On June 3, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner released Jackson’s autopsy. It determined he died from multiple blunt force injuries. His death was ruled a homicide. Authorities continue to investigate.
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