Harris County deputy, dad survived close-range shooting days before Father's Day: Exclusive

HOUSTON - A Harris County Precinct 4 deputy who narrowly escaped a shooting with his life last week is exclusively shared his story with FOX 26.

Deputy Deteryon Fontonet is a dad and got caught in the terrifying incident two days before Father’s Day. Deputy Fontonet was shot at 16 times, point-blank range with an AR-15 rifle.

It’s hard to believe he spoke with me after receiving barely a few scratches during that terrifying shooting.

"It’s unbelievable. I know that I’m blessed, and I have a lot of family and friends that are praying over me and for me," says Deputy Fontonet.

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If you saw it in a movie, you wouldn’t believe it, but the barrage of bullets fired in the chilling video was shot at close range at the Precinct 4 deputy and none of them hit him.

"I just had a job to do. Once, I gave commands. He wasn’t following the commands," Dep. Fontonet explains. 

The Precinct 4 Special Ops Unit deputy is heard in the video saying, "Step this way. Hands up. Hands up." Seconds later, the gunman opens fire.

"I refer back to my training. You don’t stay there and be an easy target. You have to make it hard for any suspect or anybody that is willing to take your life," the deputy explains. 

The gunfire erupted after detectives say 23-year-old D’anthony Simms Coleman robbed two Academy sporting goods stores with an AR-15 rifle.

Deputy Fontonet’s dash cam captures that AR-15 being turned on him after a chase last Friday. As the rounds ripped through his patrol vehicle, with bullets and glass flying, "I just received shrapnel to the face, left forearm, and left thigh. I am very grateful. I thank God every day (to be alive)," says Dep. Fontonet, who spent Sunday, Father’s Day in church.

The deputy has two daughters, including a toddler who turned three on Tuesday and an 11-year-old.

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"She hugged me for the longest, the longest time she’s ever held me. I was able to attend my daughter’s birthday and the party we had set up months before, with family flying in and everything. So it’s like hey I’m glad to be here because it could have gone totally different," the deputy adds.

Even as the deputy witnessed the worst of humanity, another man came along who was the complete opposite.  

"And I want to give a special thanks to the good Samaritan who stopped his vehicle. (He stopped, and he was going to help even as the bullets were flying right?) Correct, yes. He placed his vehicle in park with his family still inside. I observed him step out of his vehicle and draw his weapon in an effort to assist me and provide cover fire or if anything was needed. So I highly thank him for that. I’ve had so many people praying for me and I thank them as well. I didn’t know I had so much support, so much love surrounding me, until after the incident," says Deputy Fontonet.