Hero dad who took bullet to save kids in car dealer shootout loses both jobs from injury, children traumatized
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: An heroic act of a father who took a bullet to save his children from getting hurt during a shootout was rewarded with no income. Anthony Jefferson was injured in a shootout at a used-car business on Boston Road in Eastchester on Monday, September 21.
According to reports, the 39-year-old father visited the Bronx car dealership at around 7:30 in the evening with his three children, aged six, five, and two, to buy a car. He reportedly wanted to surprise the kids’ mother, Danica Jefferson, on her upcoming birthday. But instead of getting a car, he got wounded after a shootout happened. To protect his kids, he covered them with his body and got hurt by the bullets. Two bullets struck his boots while a third one got inside his right thigh.
His wife told TMZ that Anthony is not able to walk due to the injury and because of that, he lost his jobs. The father had two jobs - he was the head painter at a maintenance company and also a construction worker in New York City. Though Anthony got discharged from the hospital, the bullet is still inside his thigh, and to remove that, he will need to undergo another surgery soon.
In addition to Anthony’s pain and medical bills, the family is also suffering from trauma, especially the children, who are not ready to step outside their home. They cry while sleeping and the two-year-old often says, “Why did the man shoot my daddy?" The kids will soon be taken to a therapist for counseling.
A GoFundMe page has also been launched by Serena Wingate, Anthony’s close friend. The message on the page stated: “Hello, I am Serena Wingate, a close friend of Anthony Jefferson. On 9/21/20 at approx 7:20 PM, he was inside of 4077 Boston Rd in the Bronx with his three kids shopping for a vehicle to surprise his wife as her birthday gift, when 3 suspects fired multiple shots at a male who then returned fire, striking Anthony Jefferson 3 times, twice in his boot and once in his thigh as he was attempting to shield his 3 kids from the gunfire.”
It added, “As he shielded his kids, the 3 suspect’s continued to shoot. Due to his injury, Anthony lost his job and has to have surgery to remove the bullet. This Go Fund me is to help this heroic dad with his medical bills and his kids with therapy. They are beyond traumatized.”
In another incident, a hero father saved his son from a shark in Australia. The father and the 10-year-old were fishing from the deck of a boat off the coast of Tasmania when the shark dragged the boy and started attacking him. His father immediately responded and jumped into the water to save him from the predator.
Recounting what he heard about the incident, Abalone diver Ben Allen, told 9News, “The shark leaped out of the water, hit the side of the boat and snapped the rod clean off in the rod holder, grabbed the boy, all in the one swipe... and pulled him into the water. The father, with his natural instinct I suppose, has leaped in straight after his son and managed to grab him."
“All the boys said [the shark] was big, I imagine it was very big. It is renowned for this time of year that they do go in that area. The boys are saying [it was a] great white,” Allen added.
