CROSBY, Texas — A teenager is recovering from surgery after his father says he was shot during a robbery while he was working his nightshift job at a Jack In The Box in Crosby.
Malacheye Simpson, 18, was “millimeters from dying,” authorities said.
Simpson said he was taking orders from four other customers at the drive-thru window when he was held up by the suspect.
“A hooded figure comes up from behind me with a gun, telling me to give him the register,” Simpson said from his hospital bed. “I told him ‘no’ and we started fighting.”
Simpson said the two fought for a while in the fast-food restaurant, slipping on the freshly-mopped floors, until he heard what sounded like a firecracker.
“I got the gun away from him at the end,” Simpson said. “I was pointing it at him. I looked down at myself and saw the blood and stuff and collapsed.”
His father, Cole Simpson, said his son is a hero. He said Malacheye managed to keep the attacker at bay while his female co-worker managed to get to safety.
“He’s a protector,” Cole Simpson said. “He’s a hero in my opinion and he couldn’t have handled it in a better way.”
Cole Simpson said the suspect couldn't open the cash register and instead stole dipping sauces and packets of ketchup.
Now, Cole Simpson wants him caught.
“This guy needs to be caught and taken off the streets,” Cole Simpson said. “It seems like they’d put a dragnet out to find this guy because he’s going to do it again.”
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said it is investigating the case.