Man shot during Dearborn Heights robbery talks about his recovery

DEARBORN HEIGHTS, Mich. (WXYZ) - Doctors predict it will take months for the scars on 37-year-old Kevin Roote’s leg to heal.

“I’ll need a lot of therapy,” he says.

While there is a prognoses for his physical condition, what is not clear is when the emotional scars will go away.

“I still get nightmares," said Roote.

Around 7:00 pm last Tuesday Roote went into a party store off Warren and Gulley in Dearborn Heights, just to grab milk for his son’s cereal, when the unexpected happened.

He told 7 Action News he was walking into the store and saw a man backing out.  He sasy at the time he didn’t know it was a masked robber, with a gun in his hand and his arms full of cigarettes and liquor.

Roote said the gunman ordered him on the ground.  When he would not comply, Roote says he was shot in the leg.

Roote ended up calling 911 and his brother.  His brother rushed to the party story and made a tourniquet .  He says EMS was there minutes after that and brought him to Bostford Hospital where he has endured surgeries.

Now, for Roote, comes the next challenge: health insurance.

He currently does not have any and he is not working. He also has a special needs son he takes care of three days out of the week.

So far, two people have been arrested in the case. Just Tuesday, another robbery happened at the same party store.

Meanwhile police are looking into whether Kevin’s case or the case from yesterday are connected.