Dallas A/C repairman left paralyzed by burglar: 'I just asked God to let me live'
DALLAS - The owner of Jesse's A/C and Appliance Service in East Dallas spoke with FOX 4 for the first time since a gunman left him paralyzed.
The owner said the community's support has surpassed anything he could have imagined.
Three weeks after a gunman shot Jesse Simmons, he is hard at work relearning how to do life.
"I am living. I get to spend time with my wife," he said ‘If I walk, I walk. If I don't, God sees it a different way and has a different plan."
The shooting happened at 5:30 a.m. on Aug. 3 when Simmons’ Ring doorbell alerted him to someone in his driveway.
"I dialed 911 and hit send. He pulled the trigger. I was on the ground and knew immediately he hit my spine," he recalled.
The A/C repairman was trying to protect his work truck.
Numbers from Dallas police show a 35% increase in vehicle thefts compared with last year at this time.
As Simmons' case shows, some of those crimes can turn violent.
Christina Zepeda is a clinical manager at Baylor Scott & White Institute of Rehabilitation in Dallas.
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"It is exciting to see him have some movement, maximizing his time in other therapies to see what can come back," she said.
Electric stimulation helps build bone density and muscle mass.
"Crying will get me nowhere," Simmons said.
Simmons says he never expected such a huge outpouring of support from the community.
"It is bringing tears to my eyes thinking about the event Tuesday night. They were doing cheers for me, raising money to help me pay my bills," he said.
While even learning how to roll over is hard, Simmons says he is not taking anything for granted.
"I could be dead," he said. "I just asked God to let me live so I could play with my grandkids."
Simmons will continue inpatient therapy here at Baylor for about five more weeks.
Dallas police have still not found the shooter.
There is a $15,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and indictment. If you have information, you can call the tipline at 214-373-TIPS.