Wounded Las Vegas officer Shay Mikalonis attends charity hockey game

Las Vegas officer Shay Mikalonis, who was gravely wounded in a shooting last summer, made a public appearance at a charity hockey game Friday night at City National Arena.

The “Play for Shay” game was part of the Injured Police Officers Fund’s “Pray for Shay” fundraiser.

Mikalonis, a longtime hockey fan, was honored at the game by the Las Vegas Metro Honor Guard.

“While the road to recovery can be long, we are by your side Shay,” the Metropolitan Police Department wrote in a Facebook post Monday, adding that all money raised during the event went directly to Mikalonis. “He’s making incredible progress since he was shot in June 2020.”

https://www.facebook.com/LasVegasMetro/posts/10160038473225639

Then-30-year-old Mikalonis was shot following a demonstration in downtown Las Vegas on June 1, 2020. He was paralyzed from the neck down and spent months at a rehabilitation center before coming home to Las Vegas this spring, where he has required 24-hour care and breathes with the assistance of a ventilator.

The man arrested in the shooting, Edgar Samaniego, is charged with attempted murder and battery with a deadly weapon. Samaniego admitted in court that he fired a shot but claimed he was trying to scare protesters away and didn’t know there were cops around.

Samaniego remains in custody at the Clark County Detention Center on $1 million bail, jail records show. His next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 15.

Contact Alexis Ford at aford@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0335. Follow @alexisdford on Twitter.