Father shot to death after jumping in front of 4-year-old son, pregnant wife during attempted home invasion in Dallas

A father was shot to death in front of his child and pregnant wife during an attempted break-in at the family's home in Dallas, Texas on Saturday afternoon. When the suspects opened fire, 24-year-old Juvenal Antero jumped in front of in front of his 4-year-old son, saving him, but losing his own life in the process.

Antero and his wife, Elizabel Cardenas, were just days away from a sonogram appointment at which they would have heard their baby's heartbeat, however as a result of the criminals' actions, she will now have to go alone, and their children will grow up without a father.

According to NBC5, the incident took place shortly after 2:30 pm on December 30 on the 440 block of South Saint Augustine Drive in the Pleasant Grove area of southeast Dallas.

When officers with the Dallas Police Department arrived on scene, they discovered Antero on the ground suffering from a gunshot sound. He was rushed to hospital, but succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead.

The suspects fled the scene, and have not yet been apprehended.

In an interview with NBC5, Cardenas recounted the series of events that led to her husband's death.

"It was 2:30 when I answered the door," Cardenas said, referring to the first suspect. "They were knocking. They were asking for help. They were asking for a plunger, I guess, for their toilet or something."

She explained that after telling him that she could not help, a second suspect then showed up and drew a gun, telling everyone to "get on the ground."

"He points the gun at my son," Cardenas continued. "My husband jumped in front of my son and took the bullet for my son. My husband was able to fire back, defend our family, defend my son."

She said her son keeps asking when his father is "going to be alive again," something that "no child is supposed to witness or supposed to ask."

"I don't wish this on anyone," Cardenas added. "There are no words that nobody's words can comfort me. You know, the detective didn't let me touch his body, or let me hold his hand. He was evidence."