DETROIT (WWJ) - Detroit police are continuing efforts to track down a gunman who shot a double amputee in the head over the weekend.
Clayton Willis, a 64-year-old man who lost both of his legs due to frostbite in 2000, survived the ordeal on Sunday, July 30, telling WDIV that he was on the city's west side when a masked individual shot him multiple times.
“When I turned around, I fell out of the wheelchair, and he shot me in the hand," Willis said. A bullet then grazed the back of his head.
Willis told WDIV that he couldn't figure out why he had been targeted and why the shooter didn't take his money.
“I’m puzzled, man. I’m lost," the 64-year-old said. "What makes this man come up here with a machine gun and shoot me in the back of the head?"
Detroit Police Department Commander Vernal Newson said detectives have found out through their investigation that there has been a number of threats against panhandlers -- he believes Sunday's attack is related to those threats.
“We definitely are concerned that a person, a double amputee, will be confronted,” Newson said. “The type of person that will do that is a monstrous type of individual.”
But the incident did not stop Willis. Not even 24 hours after the attack, the 64-year-old was back on the street looking for help.
"I’m just trying to keep my house so I can keep my bills paid,' he told WDIV.
Police are still on the hunt for the person allegedly responsible. The masked individual apparently ran off towards a nearby store and got into a car, police said.
Anyone with any information about the incident has been asked to contact police at (313) 267-4600. Anonymous tips can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers of Michigan at 1-800-SPEAK-UP (773-2587).