Bandaged to his elbow, the man who was shot Sunday during a gunfire exchange with state troopers said little Thursday during his first court room appearance.

Samuel Wheeler, 24, of Butler appeared before Butler County Judge William Shaffer, who hiked his bail from $100,000 to $500,000 — that is $100,000 for each person he now is charged with victimizing.

Wheeler is accused of shooting a 9 mm rifle in the streets of Lyndora early Sunday morning, and at one point firing on two troopers who were ordering him to stop. The troopers returned fire, and Wheeler was shot in his left hand.

Wheeler is charged with five counts each of attempted homicide and assault as well as various other charges.

Prosecutors said they might add more charges, including felons not allowed to possess a firearm, when Wheeler has a preliminary hearing March 19 at the office of District Judge Kevin O’Donnell.

In the courtroom Thursday, Wheeler said he plans to apply for a public defender because he has no job or money. He told chief public defender Kevin Flaherty he hasn’t yet filled out the paperwork to apply because he’s in too much pain to write.

Based on those statements, public defender Joseph Smith, who was in the courtroom for other reasons, represented Wheeler during the hearing.

Assistant District Attorney B.T. Fullerton asked the judge to increase Wheeler’s bail because of that nature of his crime.

Additionally, the prosecutor said Wheeler is a flight risk because he only moved to Butler County last fall immediately after being released from two years in prison in Corpus Christi, Texas, for drug manufacturing. Fullerton argued Wheeler has no ties to this community outside of his family.

And prosecutors allege his father lied to police about his son’s whereabouts when they were attempting to arrest him on the drug case.

The purpose of bail is to assure the defendant appears at court proceedings and to protect the community.

Smith argued there was no need to increase the $100,000 bond because his client doesn’t have the means to post it anyway.

“It may as well be set at $1 million,” he said.