UPDATE (5/6): The city of Shawnee said Justin Shaffer's wheelchair has been recovered and returned to him.
Shaffer thanked everyone for their help in the following message:
Great news! Thanks to the news coverage of my situation, someone contacted a tip line after recognizing the van and my chair was returned by the Shawnee Police Department! It seems to be in decent shape, I'm going to get it cleaned up and a few pieces replaced by the vendor who it was originally ordered from. I want to thank you all for bringing attention to what happened and allowing me to not only hold the people who did this responsible but also getting back one of my most important methods of mobility!
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ORIGINAL STORY
Justin Shaffer depends on a wheelchair for independence and to help customers at the Lowe’s on West 65th Street near Renner Road in Shawnee, Kansas.
“In my situation you need a specific chair I need a specific make and I had exactly what I needed,” Shaffer said.
Last Thursday, someone stole the Shawnee man's nearly $2,800 wheelchair, during his lunch break.
“I may have been a little naive but I didn't think anyone would take a wheelchair that is sitting in a handicapped spot,” Shaffer said.
Police say the men pulled up to the chair, loaded it into a van and took off.
“It just kinds of seems like it, something that's off limits, like, who would stoop that low and do something like that?” Shaffer said.
The people who stole the wheelchair were driving in a tan van that has chrome running boards and a chrome spare tire cover on the back.
“I realized I had driven past the van as I was coming back from lunch and we're talking a matter of minutes that we past each other,” Shaffer said.
Soon after the robbery, Shaffer went on Craigslist to see if the the thieves were selling his wheelchair for a quick buck, instead he found a temporary wheelchair.
A GoFundMe pagehas helped Shaffer raise money for a new customized wheelchair.
“I went from one situation where you kind of lose faith in people to looking at the flip side where you're like there's more good people out there than there is bad,” Shaffer said.
If you recognize the van, call Shawnee Police or the KC Crimestoppers hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477).
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Andres Gutierrez can be reached at andres.gutierrez@kshb.com
