US: Jacksonville man dragged behind van 'fighting for his life'

Days after a gay man was beaten and dragged behind a van, News4Jax is learning more about the victim of what police are calling a “horrendous” attack and others characterized as a hate crime.

The 37-year-old man, whose family did not wish to share his name, is in critical condition at UF Health Jacksonville’s intensive care unit, a relative told News4Jax. The relative said the man has not woken up since Friday’s attack and is currently on a feeding tube.

"He is fighting for his life," the relative said. "He sure is."

The relative said the victim has microscopic brain injuries and severe lacerations to the head stemming from being beaten and then dragged behind a minivan for several blocks through Jacksonville’s Moncrief neighborhood. He was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries early Friday.

“We will know more in a couple of days,” the relative said. “Maybe by Thursday because he’s got a lot of swelling, so once the swelling starts to go down, then they can really determine what’s going to happen to him.” Read more via News 4