A Las Vegas police officer is reportedly paralyzed as a result of injuries sustained at a protest which emerged in the wake of George Floyd’s death.
According to a report from the Associated Press, Officer Shay Mikalonis was paralyzed from the neck down and remains on a ventilator after protesters shot him in the head June 1. (RELATED: Wendy’s Torched By Protesters After Police Shoot And Kill Rayshard Brooks In Atlanta)
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A police officer who was shot in the head during a Las Vegas Strip protest of the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis is paralyzed from the neck down, on a ventilator and unable to speak, his family said in a statement released by police. https://t.co/LDoYxbylDk
— Mike Balsamo (@MikeBalsamo1) June 14, 2020
Protesters had taken to the streets of Las Vegas and other major cities nationwide to protest after video showed George Floyd losing consciousness after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes during arrest, causing his death.
Officer Mikalonis’ family allowed the Las Vegas Police Department to share his condition and said that although he is still on a ventilator and unable to speak, he does appear to recognize his family members and has tentatively been accepted into a spinal rehab facility. (RELATED: Line To Pay Respect To Fallen Police Captain David Dorn Should Renew Faith In America)
Sharing with permission from Officer Mikalonis’s family. Since so many of our community is supporting Shay we wanted to provide an update as of June 12th, after the fundraiser held for him. He feels your prayers and positive thoughts. #PrayforShay pic.twitter.com/rpwaxMTCui
— LVMPD Dispatch (@lvmpd_dispatch) June 13, 2020