© 2024 Blaze Media LLC. All rights reserved.
Hero dad shields 3 kids from hail of gunfire at car dealership, sustains gunshot wound. He reportedly loses 2 jobs because he can't walk now.
Image source: YouTube screenshot

Hero dad shields 3 kids from hail of gunfire at car dealership, sustains gunshot wound. He reportedly loses 2 jobs because he can't currently walk.

'They are beyond traumatized'

A 39-year-old New York man reportedly lost his two jobs after he was injured shielding his three young children from gunfire at a Bronx car dealership last week.

What are the details of the shooting?

Anthony Jefferson was sitting on the sofa of a Bronx car dealership on Sept. 21 with his three children — ages six, five, and two — when three unnamed suspects opened fire outside the building.

As the suspects' shots rang out and shattered one of the dealership's windows — which was directly behind Jefferson and his three children — the brave dad shoved his kids off the sofa and onto the floor, as seen in now-viral surveillance video of the incident.

From the floor, Jefferson shielded the young trio with his own body and sustained a gunshot wound in the process.

TMZ reported that Jefferson was shot three times during the incident — once in his right thigh and twice in his boot.

The heroic father was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment following the shooting and was released. His family says he faces an additional surgery to remove the bullet, which is still reportedly lodged in his leg.

Last week, TMZ reported that three suspects were firing at a person inside the dealership, who returned fire. The outlet reported that the three suspects fled the scene on foot and that authorities are still looking for suspects in the shooting.

What about his employment?

Jefferson, who, according to his family, worked two jobs — one as a head painter and one as a construction worker — reportedly lost both jobs after the injuries he sustained in Monday's shooting left him unable to walk.

His wife, Danica, told him that his two employers severed his employment because of his current inability to walk. Serena Wingate, a family friend, set up a GoFundMe page to benefit Johnson and his family during their time of crisis.

Wingate wrote, "On 9/21/20 at approx 7:20 PM, [Jefferson] 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."

"As he shielded his kids, the 3 suspect's [sic] continued to shoot," Wingate continued. "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."

At the time of this reporting, the GoFundMe page to benefit Jefferson and his family has received more than $281,000 in donations.

Anything else?

Jefferson told WNBC-TV that he was looking for a car for his wife's birthday.

"I was trying to surprise my wife for her birthday," Jefferson told the station.

He said that when he heard the shots, he had only one thing on his mind: "Get my kids and get low, to safety."

"I was just being a father," Jefferson added. "If my arms would have stretched to everyone, I would have made sure I would have gotten them to safety."

Jefferson told the station that his young children are still suffering the devastating effects of the shooting.

"They're traumatized," he said. "My 2-year-old gets up in the middle of the night screaming. It's heartbreaking."

Dad dives in way of gunfire, shielding children at Bronx car dealershipwww.youtube.com

Want to leave a tip?

We answer to you. Help keep our content free of advertisers and big tech censorship by leaving a tip today.
Want to join the conversation?
Already a subscriber?