Wounded Las Vegas officer has 2nd surgery, remains ‘critical’
Wounded officer Shay Mikalonis has undergone successful surgery to repair a shattered jaw, a Las Vegas police union leader said Tuesday.
Mikalonis remained in critical condition at University Medical Center, according to Steve Grammas, president of the Las Vegas Police Protective Association.
Grammas said he was aware of a report on Facebook and from some local news media that Mikalonis, 29, is now “awake” but had no information confirming that and was skeptical of the sourcing.
“I don’t think so,” he said.
The Las Vegas police Public Information Office also said Mikalonis’ condition at University Medical Center has not changed, and he remained in critical condition.
The Facebook post by “Police Unity Tour ‘Team Vegas’” posted a statement early Tuesday that it said came from Mikalonis’ family. Efforts to contact the author of the post were not immediately successful.
“We want to update everyone on Shay’s condition,” the post quoted the family as saying. “Shay is on a ventilator and will be for the foreseeable future or perhaps the rest of his life. He is still very critical and therefore still at UMC Trauma. He is awake and appears to recognize his family. He had a setback today, but the outstanding staff at UMC is working hard to get his vitals back under control,” the post said.
“We just want everyone to know that Shay is a fighter, but he has a long hard fight ahead of time. The level of care he has received at UMC is the best and has gotten him this far, an amazing feat from where Shay was a week ago,” the post said.
Mikalonis was shot June 1 at the conclusion of a Black Lives Matter protest on the Las Vegas Strip at Circus Circus. A 20-year-old suspect, Edgar Samaniego, faces multiple felonies, including attempted murder in the shooting.
Grammas said police are very thankful for continued expressions of community support for Mikalonis and fellow officers. Many people have dropped off food and drink for police and held prayer vigils for the officer at the hospital.
“From the moment Shay got shot, the community has continued to support him and our officers,” Grammas said, adding, “We are thankful for it.”
Contact Glenn Puit by email at gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.
