Dallas firefighters broke protocol Sunday night, rushing into a home after a shooting and saving the life of an unborn child, WFAA reported.
Firefighters went to the home after a police dispatcher said there was a “gunshot with victim with shooter in vicinity,” the television station reported.
"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, told the television station.
After deciding to enter the home, firefighters found two people shot, including Delashon Jefferson, 21, who was eight months' pregnant, WFAA reported.
Dallas police said Jefferson got into an argument with Lagarius Rainey, 25, KDFW reported. Family members attempted to break up the argument when it escalated, but Rainey allegedly took out a gun and fatally shot Jefferson and wounded another person, the television station reported.
Jefferson's mother was holding her when firefighters arrived, WFAA reported.
"Seeing her laying there, it's bothering me. I'm still looking at her laying on the floor, and I was holding her until the ambulance got there," Sharon Jefferson told WFAA.
Delashon did not survive her gunshot wound, but firefighters worked to save the baby, a girl who was delivered by an emergency cesarean section at a hospital, WFAA reported.
In August, the Dallas Police Department implemented a new policy of requiring firefighters to wait until police arrive at the scene. The policy stems from an August incident, when a knife-wielding man chased firefighters during a domestic violence call, WFAA reported.
Rainey was charged with murder. He is being held in the Dallas County jail on a $350,000 bond, KDFW reported.
About the Author
