Father shot while protecting son from armed teens

Mesquite dad shot by teens while protecting son

A Mesquite father says he was shot by a kid after he ran to a park to protect his son.

MESQUITE, Texas - A Mesquite father says he was shot by a kid after he ran to a park to protect his son.

Local perspective:

Tyrone Jackson now has to live with a bullet lodged in his shoulder, and the juveniles responsible for the shooting have not been arrested.

Tyrone Jackson

The father did not think the gun was real, nor did he believe the boy would use it.

Jackson was planning to watch football and get ready for work on Monday morning until around 8 p.m. on Sunday.

"I wasn't planning on going up there and getting shot," said Jackson. 

"I overheard my wife and my son talking about someone pulling a gun on my younger son." 

Jackson followed his wife and older son to the park behind Thompson Elementary School.

When he got there, Jackson says he saw his 19-year-old son arguing with two other boys.

He believed they were about the same age as his 13-year-old son. 

"He pulled it out and pointed it at my son and that's when I realized this is real, but I'm still thinking to myself that this gun can't be real because it's kids."

Dig deeper:

Jackson's wife called police. As officers were approaching the park, the two juveniles ran off and shot back at Jackson and his family. 

Home surveillance captured the audio of the rapid-fire shots around 8:25 p.m.

"I was thinking about 8 shots, but as I did my research in the neighborhood, I realized it was like 13 shots." 

Jackson says he turned his head at the last minute and was hit on the shoulder.

"It went in this way and the bullet sits, the bullet just sits, just sits right up in this area here."

Doctors don't plan to remove it, so Jackson will have to live with it for the rest of his life. 

What they're saying:

Mesquite police are still searching for the two juveniles who ran off, including the shooter. 

Jackson says he didn't know his younger son left the house, and he doesn't know what they were arguing about when he got there.

"If I had known that the gun was real when I first walked up there I probably would have taken a different approach."

But he's grateful it was him and not his wife or kids.

"I got a bullet in me, it's going to stay there, but I'm here. I'm here, I'm just happy I'm here, I'm not going to take it for granted."

What's next:

FOX 4 checked in with Mesquite police today and still no arrests have been made. 

Jackson’s family started an online fundraiser to help cover bills and moving costs, as they plan to relocate to a safer area.