Buffalo Protester Martin Gugino Pushed By Police Suffered A Brain Injury: Lawyer

The elderly man who filmed being knocked to the pavement by police officers during a protest in Buffalo N.Y. suffered a brain injury, his lawyer revealed Thursday (June 11).

The video has since gone viral, and they have suspended the two police officers who pushed the elderly activist. The entire Buffalo Emergency Response Team also resigned from their unit. We can see blood slowly trickling out as the activist, later identified as Martin Gugino, lay motionless and apparently unconscious. They brought him to the hospital thereafter, with his lawyer saying he suffered a brain injury.

Encouraged And Uplifted

A friend of Gugino, who refused to have his name mentioned, said that the 75-year-old, initially brought to the intensive care unit at the Erie County Medical Center where doctors pronounced him in serious, albeit stable, condition, has since moved out of intensive care. They still list his status is still as critical.

Gugino’s lawyer, Kelly Zarcone, released a statement to various media outlets saying that her client is now beginning physical therapy to help him fully recover from the incident which happened June 4. She added that her client knows fully that his brain has sustained injuries.

“He feels encouraged and uplifted by the outpouring of support which he has received from so many people all over the globe. It helps. He is looking forward to healing and determining what his ‘new normal’ might look like,” Zarcone said. Fox News made calls and sent emails to Zarcone to get her side, but the lawyer still has to respond.

Charged With Assault

Many people became critical of the way the authorities handled the situation, as shown in the video widely shared on various social media platforms. People saw the two Buffalo police officers, Robert McCabe and Aaron Torgalski, shoving Gugino when the activist approached them. This caused the elderly man to fall backward and hit his head.

We can see a pool of blood forming beneath his head while he laid there motionless. As a result, both policemen, now charged with second-degree assault, and were suspended from the team.

President Trump Weighs In

Several days after the incident, President Trump weighed in on the issue when he tweeted that Gugino may have been an “ANTIFA provocateur.” The president cited a report made by One America News Network (OANN), which immediately drew widespread criticism. In an interview with ABC News, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez stated that the president’s tweet was “reprehensible” and “horrendous.”