Spryfield-area residents are being warned to be vigilant about their personal safety after an elderly man was attacked and killed while he was walking in the area Saturday night.

His wife, Sheila Oakley, tells CTV News she can't understand why her husband was targeted, and she won't rest until she knows the truth about what happened.

"The only thing that will make me happy…to go on with my life is for the person that did this to tell the truth," says Oakley.

Glenn Francis Oakley, 70, was discovered lying on a bridge on Drysdale Road by two women who were walking in the area around 10:30 p.m.

They called for assistance and a man rushed over to help.

"I went over and about halfway across the bridge I found a man lying there…obviously not breathing…eyes wide open," says the man, who asked not to be identified. "He seemed very cold."

He says he called 911 and the operator talked him through the steps to attempt to revive Oakley, but he was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.

Police say they are still waiting for the autopsy results, but they have confirmed Oakley is the victim of a homicide.

They also say the murder appears to be a random incident, and they are warning people in the area to be cautious.

Police say Oakley was known to walk in the areas of Sylvia Avenue, Drysdale Road and Emerald Crescent and often cut through the schoolyard of J.L. Ilsley High School.

Sheila Oakley says he would go for a walk each night so he could get some exercise and say "hello" to their neighbours.

"I have no idea what happened, or why someone would kill him," she says. "He was my life and they took that from me."

Police are asking anyone who may have information on Oakley's death or anyone who may have seen him between 7 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Saturday to come forward.

"We're really looking for any information regarding the route he may have taken…or if he may have come into contact with anyone," Theresa Rath, media spokesperson for Halifax Regional Police, said on Sunday. "We'd really like to piece together what may have happened to him."

With files from CTV Atlantic's Alyse Hand