DETROIT (WXYZ) — A 64-year-old panhandler was shot in an unprovoked attack, and Detroit police say he wasn’t the only panhandler being threatened.
It happened Sunday around 5 p.m. on the side of the road near 8 Mile and Southfield Freeway. The victim, Clayton Willis, is a double amputee in a wheelchair. He survived the attack and is already back out on the street.
Most days, he sits along the road at a stoplight off of 8 Mile getting by on the kindness of others.
“I'm trying to live to see 100," Willis said.
Willis lost both his legs due to frostbite and can’t use his right arm well after a stroke. He says the money he collects helps pay the bills like hygiene kits.
“If I had my arms and my legs back, I wouldn't be on this corner," Willis said. "I'd be working.”
On Sunday afternoon in broad daylight, Willis was at his usual spot when a masked man armed with a gun ran up behind him and fired two to three shots. A bullet grazed the back of his head. His left arm was also injured.
Willis fell from his chair and was on the ground until a good Samaritan stopped to help.
"Why are you messing with a person who’s handicapped and disabled people," Willis said. "Why would you shoot me in the back of the head and not take my money?”
Detroit police are eagerly investigating. They say at least three other panhandlers have also been threatened in recent months, but the crimes often go unreported. They believe the attacks could be over panhandling territory.
“It was unprovoked," Cmdr. Vernal Newson with the Detroit Police Department said. "Especially with our victim being a double amputee in a wheelchair, that speaks volumes to the character of the person approaching.”
Just 24 hours after the shooting with the hospital bracelet still on his wrist, Willis is still on the street. He's hoping the man who shot at him won’t be on the street for much longer.
“I'm praying to you, Jesus that I hope y'all do catch this man,” Willis said.
The Detroit Police Department is also asking anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP.
