Las Vegas police officer shot in head during protests will likely remain on ventilators, family

The police officer shot in the head last week when attempting to disperse a crowd of protesters on the Las Vegas Strip will likely remain on a ventilator for life, his family says.

The officer, 29-year-old Shay Mikalonis, remains in critical condition at the University Medical Center in Las Vegas.

“Shay is on a ventilator and will be for the foreseeable future or perhaps the rest of his life,” the family said in a statement posted on Twitter.

One police officer was fatally shot amid the protests, which followed the May 25 death of George Floyd protests and that continue to focus on police brutality toward black Americans. The federal officer was guarding a government building when shot and killing, and a fellow officer was wounded in the attack. 

Police have charged Edgar Samaniego with one count of attempted murder and two counts of unlawful discharging of a firearm in the June 2 shooting of Mikalonis. 

Other officers across the country also have either been injured or wounded in the protests, including four officers shot in St. Louis. 

At least a dozen Los Angeles police department officers have reportedly been injured in the protests that started after Floyd’s death, following a Minneapolis police officer kneeling on his neck during an arrest.