Beloved Dallas A/C repairman shot while confronting burglar
DALLAS - The beloved owner of an East Dallas air conditioner service is in the hospital after he was shot by a thief trying to break into his work truck.
Jesse Simmons' kidney and spine were damaged in the shooting causing him to be paralyzed below the knees.
His family is hopeful that a surgery Wednesday will be able to restore his ability to walk.
Simmons' Ring camera captured the moments before he nearly lost his life.
A man walked through his yard at 5:30 Thursday morning while Simmons was getting ready for a Greater East Dallas Chamber of Commerce board meeting.
After seeing the alert, Simmons walked outside with his firearm in hand.
"Can I help you? Can I help you?" Simmons can be heard saying in the video.
The Ring video cuts off just before Dallas police say Simmons was shot.
"He was shot the bullet went through his kidney, it went through his liver and through his spine," said Dr. Chuck Kobdish, Simmons' longtime friend.
Dr. Kobdish is working to raise money to help the family pay for medical bills.
"He is doing everything he can to make East Dallas a better place for all of us. For someone, some thug, to come in and interject themselves into Jesse's life and come this close to taking Jesse away from us, that would be a significant loss," said Kobdish.
Simmons is a 60-year-old husband, father of five and grandfather of four.
Kobdish says he is well-known in East Dallas as the go-to A/C and appliance service man.
"If you take a look at his client base, everybody in East Dallas knows him. When he started out he would drive all over town to take care of folks. As he was networking and building his business here in East Dallas the need to travel became smaller and smaller and smaller. He probably services every house in 5 square miles of this spot right here," he said.
Police say the shooter was checking for unlocked vehicles when Simmons confronted him at his work truck.
Kobdish says if the burglar had asked Simmons would have given him whatever help he needed.
Now, Kobdish wants whoever did this or knows who did this to come forward.
"What if this was your husband, your friend?" he asked.
The suspect may have been wounded himself.
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Off-duty Plano police officer involved in shootout outside Dallas apartment
The off-duty officer confronted a group of unknown suspects trying to break into his vehicle on Tuesday morning, according to police.
Simmons' wife says he fired back and police told her two shots are unaccounted for.
"Anybody that knows who this person is, please call authorities," said Kobdish. "If he would do this to Jesse, he will do it to somebody else. Jesse will live, Jesse will survive, but maybe the next person won't."
The family is offering an additional $10,000 reward through Crime Stoppers for information that leads to an arrest and indictment.
That brings the total reward to $15,000.
Dallas police say if someone has information and want to remain anonymous to call 214-373-TIPS Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.