80-year-old Bill Gaede was shot in the face and beaten during a home invasion robbery near Squaw Valley.
Gaede is a neo-Nazi who destroyed a religious symbol near Avocado Lake ten years ago.
Investigators say Gaede got home around six Thursday evening and was attacked by two men who demanded guns and money.
They immediately shot him in the face, beat him, and tied him up.
Gaede's son, Wolfgang, walked in on the crime. He was beaten and tied up as well.
Wolfgang had a pocket knife that he was able to reach and cut himself and his father free and called 9-1-1.
Bill Gaede was airlifted to the hospital.
Deputies say the house was ransacked.
Bill Gaede gained attention back in 2002 when he cut down a tree near Avocado Lake that attracted hundreds of people who believed they saw an image of a Virgin Mary in the tree.
His twin teenage granddaughters gained national notoriety with their controversial songs about White Supremacy.
Deputies have a description of the suspects who attacked Gaede and his son. They are looking for two white men in their 40s. They are both around five-foot-ten. One has shoulder length blond hair. The other has short brown hair and a thin build. There may be a third man working with them. They were in a white sedan and last seen heading towards Highway 180.
Anyone with information on the crime is asked to call the Fresno County Sheriff's Department at 488-3111.