A group of Texas firefighters recently made the call to break strict protocol and rushed to the scene of a shooting, saving the life of an unborn baby in the process.
The firefighters were sent to an address in Dallas when police dispatch radioed in reports of a “gunshot victim” and a “shooter in the vicinity.” Though new regulations issued by the Dallas Police Department restrict fire crews from entering crime scenes until police arrive, this brave group decided to bypass the policy and put themselves in peril for the sake of others.
The new rules were instituted after a man with a knife chased firefighters as they waited for police to arrive at the scene.
“They took a gamble because they knew that someone had been shot and needed help and needed help quickly,” Jim McDade, president of the Dallas Fire Fighters Association (DFFA), told WFAA-TV.
When they stormed the property, the fire crew found two people suffering from gunshot wounds, including 21-year-old Delashon Jefferson, who was eight months pregnant.
According to an arrest affidavit, the suspect, 25-year-old Lagarius Rainey, opened fire after a getting into a domestic dispute with Jefferson over an accusation of infidelity. After accusing Jefferson of cheating on him, Rainey told officers that members of her family “came in punching,” and that he felt “afraid of his life,” causing him to draw his weapon and fire, killing his pregnant girlfriend.
Mother Sharon Jefferson said she was still in shock over the loss of her precious daughter.
“Seeing her laying there, it’s bothering me,” she said. “I’m still looking at her laying on the floor, and I was holding her until the ambulance got there.”
After being rushed to hospital, Delashon was sadly pronounced dead. But, incredibly, her baby was delivered alive and well via an emergency c-section.
Sharon commented on the miraculous arrival of her granddaughter.
“Her mama passed away, and they saved her,” she said.
Rainey was charged with murder and is currently being held on $350,000 bond at Dallas County jail.