Ali Bashir Abu Zama, the clerk shot in the head Sunday on the 16th Street Mall, has had reconstructive surgery on his face, a 7-Eleven spokeswoman said Tuesday.

As Zama recovers, the Sudanese community in Denver is trying to piece together the man's life and figure out where his family is.

He wasn't actively involved with other immigrants, and that makes it hard to locate his relatives, community members said.

He is believed to have a wife who is in Russia and three children.

He fled Sudan first to Russia, but then he came to America, acquaintances said.

He used to live at the Xenia Village apartment complex, which provides housing for low-income tenants, until he was evicted a few months ago for not paying rent, the manager of the complex said.

"We will do what we can do," said Wail Nuri, a Sudanese immigrant who didn't know the 37-year-old shooting victim. "We will be like a family for this family. They will need help at this time."

At a Saturday meeting, Sudanese immigrants will gather to find out how they can assist their fellow countryman. They will donate money, trade tidbits of information and do whatever is necessary to make this time easier for him, local Sudanese leaders said.

"We want to have access to his family in Sudan," said Dr. Isam Gameel, president of the Sudanese Charity Society, "in order to tell them what happened to him, find out how he is, where he's living, does he need money, where his children are."

The 16th Street Mall was busy Sunday afternoon when a gunman shot the clerk in the head and fled from the 7-Eleven on the corner of 16th and Champa streets.

Police arrested a suspect, 22-year- old Broderick Roddy, a few blocks away. The motive for the shooting is unclear.

Zama has worked for two area 7-Eleven stores for about three years and had been working at the last store for about 10 months, said company spokeswoman Cynthia Baker.

"We were really shocked to hear about such a violent act, particularly the time that it happened," she said. "We're very fortunate that he is progressing well."

Staff writer Vimal Patel can be reached at 303-954-1638 or [email protected].