HOUSTON – Clarence Davis is learning to live without the use of his legs.
He lost it after he met two armed robbers in August 2017.
Davis was waiting for a bus after working the night shift as a dishwasher at an IHOP in the 5700 block of Westheimer Road when gunmen came out of the dark, took his phone and demanded his wallet.
When Davis tried to run, one of them shot him in the back, leaving him paralyzed, lying in the street.
At Quentin Meese Hospital on Wednesday, Davis was practicing the proper way to get in and out of his wheelchair.
Doctors told him he'd never walk again, but Davis is trying to buck the odds and literally get back on his feet.
“I'm not going to be on no crutches or none of that. I'm going to be back walking,” Davis said.
Police tracked down one of the suspects by matching a shell casing found at the scene.
That suspect is 18-year-old Nailon Benoit, a documented gang member, according to police, who's now charged with aggravated robbery.
A photo of Benoit is below.
Benoit is refusing to identify the man who was with him at the time of the crime, the man Davis said actually pulled the trigger and put a bullet in his spine.
“He has not provided any information to us as far as who the other suspect is. That part of the case remains unsolved,” said Detective Jeff Brieden, with the Houston Police Department Robbery Division.
Davis said he'll feel better when the second suspect is identified and arrested.
“That guy is dangerous, real dangerous,” Davis said. “He don't care about you or nobody else, because he sure didn't care about me, and I turned around and gave him my phone and tried to run back to my job, and he still shot me in the back. That man don't care nothing about nobody, no kids, no grownups, nobody.”
Davis' life was changed forever in an instant.
He's struggling to walk and to work again, but he's optimistic about his future.
Houston Police Department robbery investigators are asking anyone with information to call Houston Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477). A reward of up to $5,000 is being offered.
A GoFundMe account has been set up for Davis.