SPRING HILL, Fla. — The mother of a murdered U.S. Navy veteran is asking anyone who has information about her son's death to come forward.

"If they know something, even if it's something small, let the police decide if it's important or not," Tina Johnson Laney said.

Johnson Laney's son, James Earl, was fatally shot in the driveway of his home on Glenrock Road in the early morning hours of January 16. No arrests have been made, and the Pasco County Sheriff's Office put out an appeal for information on the case earlier this week.

Earl, 32, was sergeant-at-arms for the Pagan Motorcycle Club at the time of his death. Detectives said it's still unclear whether that played a role in his murder.

Johnson Laney said while he was a member of the club, he accomplished much more than that in his short life. Earl lettered in track and wrestling in high school. He was a Navy corpsman attached to the Marines and served in Afghanistan. 

"He loved being over in Afghanistan. He talked a lot about going back over there as a civilian. He loved helping people. I was really proud of him," said Johnson Laney. "He loved this country and he fought for the rights that we have. Even the same person that killed my son, he fought for his rights, too."

The night Earl died, he was coming home from the National Aviation Academy in Clearwater, where he was a student. Det. Samantha Gutierrez said the person or people responsible for his death likely had knowledge of his schedule.

She said there's a chance that someone out there could know something about the case but may not have come forward yet because of fear of retaliation.

"You can call in anonymous. You don't have to give your information. We don't have access to who calls into Crime Stoppers, even though that's a theory. A lot of people think we can still learn that. We don't," Gutierrez said. 

Johnson Laney said she knows something about that fear.

"I'm afraid all the time when I walk out the door. I don't know who did this or why or how deep it goes. I don't know if they're going to be waiting for me outside," she said of whoever murdered her son.

Still, she has a message for anyone with information that can help bring Earl's killer to justice.

"Not to be afraid," Johnson Laney said. "To do the moral thing. To do the just thing. To come forward and say something."

Johnson Laney has contributed $2,000 of her own money to the reward for information that leads to an arrest in this case, bringing the total amount to $10,000. 

Earl also went by the nicknames "Vein" and "Scrapper."

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay at 1-800-873-TIPS.