A Dallas man has opened up about his road to recovery after being shot by a thief trying to break into his vehicle last August.
Jesse Simmons has made remarkable progress since a shooting outside his East Dallas home left him paralyzed.
The 60-year-old confronted someone breaking into his work truck outside his home on Donegal Drive on August 3 at about 5:30 a.m., as previously reported by The Dallas Express. Both individuals exchanged fire, with the would-be thief running away and Simmons sustaining damage to his kidney, liver, and spine.
Doctors told Simmons, who is the father of five and grandfather of four, that he would likely never regain the ability to walk. Yet after several surgeries and two months in the hospital, he set to work to prove them wrong during physical therapy sessions at Baylor Scott & White.
“[T]he first thing you gotta do is tell me I can’t do something, and I’ll do everything I can to prove you wrong,” Simmons told the Advocate.
He now has some movement in both legs and recently passed a driver’s test, earning himself more independence.
“When this all first started, there was no way I could put a shoe on, nothing. Now I’ve dressed myself in the mornings,” he explained. “[I learned] how to survive in a wheelchair, even though I’m planning on getting out of it.”
While Simmons has used his gratitude for being alive to help him adjust to his new way of life, he hasn’t lost his optimism and hopes to be walking again by his next birthday in June.
“Part of my motivation that helps me is the community standing behind me, pushing me, saying, ‘Hey, good job, keep it up,'” he said.
A GoFundMe set up for Simmons has already generated more than $77,501 as of March 9, yet his family’s financial needs remain considerable.
“They are waiting, and waiting, and waiting for a reply to Jesse’s application for disability,” wrote a family friend named Chuck Kobdish. “They’re also hoping to get some relief from the Texas Crime Victims fund.”
Simmons’ shooting occurred at a time when violent car thefts were being reported across North Texas, as previously covered by The Dallas Express. His shooter has yet to be brought to justice.
As of March 4, there have been 2,830 reports of motor vehicle theft and 1,873 reports of vehicle break-ins this year, according to data from the City’s crime analytics dashboard. Car theft, in particular, skyrocketed last year, seeing a 40.6% increase from 2022. In 2024, reported incidents are outpacing 2023 with a year-over-year uptick of 18.4%.
Many of these vehicles were declared stolen in Downtown Dallas, which is becoming a hot spot for crime. This is especially true compared to Fort Worth’s city center, which is patrolled by a dedicated police unit and private security officers.
The Dallas Police Department has just 12 officers assigned to auto theft, while only around 3,000 officers are in the field. An analysis of the city’s policing needs based on Dallas’ population size found that a force of roughly 4,000 is required to adequately address crime and promote public safety.
However, the Dallas City Council voted on a budget of just $654 million for DPD this fiscal year. This amounts to considerably fewer taxpayer dollars spent on policing compared to other high-crime jurisdictions, like New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
