Dad, 42, left with 100 shrapnel pieces in head after being shot when thugs broke down door & mistook him for gang rival

A DAD was shot in the head in his own home and left with 100 pieces of shrapnel in his forehead by gang members who targeted the wrong house. Jason Franklin, 42, was enjoying a quiet night in with his partner Keela, 36, and their five-month-old son Lucas, when intruders attempted to break down their front door before firing through the glass panel. Jason Franklin, 42, was enjoying a quiet night in with his family before the horror attack Credit: SWNS He was instead left with horrifying injuries including 100 pieces of shrapnel in his head Credit: SWNS The dad-of-four from Bristol was left with a hole in his head and shards of glass in his eyes after the brutal attack. Cops told Jason that he had been caught in the crossfire of a feud between rival gangs, who had mistakenly turned up at his property. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! But his attackers have never been found, and police closed the investigation after a few months, having exhausted all lines of enquiry. The fencer – who is currently unable to work due to mental health struggles – said he is devastated that those responsible were never caught. He described the lasting impact on his mental health as horrible, adding that it is terrible there have been no repercussions. “I’ve got PTSD, anxiety, depression; it’s really affected Lucas as I wasn’t able to take him out to places when he was growing up, due to my mental health,” he said. “We’ve not been able to live like a normal family.” On the evening of Easter Sunday, April 4, 2010, the couple were on the sofa in their Ashley Wood home watching a film while Lucas slept in his pram nearby. Most read in The Sun Jason said he is devastated that those responsible were never caught Credit: Jason Franklin / SWNS Intruders attempted to break down their front door before shooting him through the glass door panel Credit: SWNS At around 10pm, Keela went upstairs to put Lucas in his cot before returning downstairs while Jason drifted off on the sofa – but just half an hour later, he was jolted awake by a loud banging noise. Confused and terrified, he ran to the front door and pressed his body against it to keep the intruders out. He admitted he had no idea who it could be or why anyone would try to break into his home. Suddenly, a loud bang echoed through the hallway accompanied by the smell of smoke. The glass panels in the door shattered as a bullet struck Jason directly in the top of his head. “The intruders couldn’t get through the door, so they decided to just shoot through the glass,” he said. As blood poured from his head, he ran upstairs to grab a towel, leaving bloody handprints along the walls. Keela dialed 999 immediately as the intruders fled into the night. Jason with his partner Keela Credit: SWNS Jason is not currently able to work due to mental health struggles Credit: SWNS Jason was rushed to hospital, where he received 10 stitches and underwent surgery to remove shards of glass from his eyes. “When they shot me in the head, it damaged the nerve, so I couldn’t feel much, but my eyes were in so much pain,” he said. Detectives informed the family that the attackers had used a homemade bullet, which shattered on impact and left 100 pieces of shrapnel in his forehead. Doctors advised against removing the fragments, explaining that doing so would only worsen the scarring. “You can still feel little bits of metal if you touch my head in certain places,” he said. Officers revealed the assault stemmed from a dispute between rival gangs who had targeted the wrong address. “They didn’t do their research; they were just told to go to the house next to the boarded-up house, but they got the wrong side,” Jason said. After five days in hospital, Jason was discharged to his mother’s house, four doors down from the crime scene, where his family was staying. Two months later, they relocated to a flat on the other side of Bristol to regain a sense of safety but cops later closed the case after running out of leads, leaving Jason devastated. The random attack severely damaged his mental health, leaving him struggling to leave the house or take his children out in the years that followed. Avon & Somerset Police has been contacted for comment.