Martin Gugino: Elderly protester shoved by Buffalo cops has a fractured skull and can't walk, reveals lawyer
A lawyer for Martin Gugino, the 75-year-old George Floyd protester who was shoved to the ground by two armed police officers earlier this month, creating national headlines and even making Trump react, said that his client has a fractured skull from the incident and is not able to walk.
"I am not at liberty to elaborate at this time other than to confirm that his skull was fractured," Gugino's attorney Kelly Zarcone said in a statement to CNN. "While he is not able to walk yet, we were able to have a short conversation before he became too tired. He is appreciative of all of the concern about him but he is still focused on the issues rather than himself."
Zarcone also passed on a message from Gugino, which said, "I think it's very unnecessary to focus on me. There are plenty of other things to think about besides me." On Tuesday, June 16, Zarcone told CNN that Gugino was determined to get better as he remains in rehabilitation. "Barring something unusual and unforeseen, I don't expect much change at all this week," she said.
Earlier on June 4, a 39-second graphic video clip by WBFO's Mike Desmond was posted on Twitter, which showed activist Gugino being shoved to the ground by a police officer in Niagara Square while enforcing a curfew. The Buffalo Police were clearing the crowd after the 8 pm curfew when Gugino walked up to the police officers near the City Hall Building. The police officers shouted at him to move back, while another shoved him, causing him to stumble backward and fall head-first onto the pavement. Gugino started bleeding from the back of the head and ears, and an ambulance was immediately called to the scene.
Although in the immediate aftermath of the incident it was reported that Gugino had suffered a severe head injury, he was reported to be in a "stable but serious condition". His condition was upgraded once he was moved to Erie County Medical Center’s rehabilitation floor. On June 11, Zarcone revealed that her client's brain had been injured in the attack and that he has now started physical therapy.
"Martin is a soft-spoken but thoughtful and principled man," she said in a statement. "As heartbreaking as it is, his brain is injured and he is well aware of that now. 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."
Many, however, have not taken to the news well and touted conspiracy theories that Gugino was not a protester but someone who was at the scene to disrupt police communication and seed chaos. Among the purveyors of such theories is President Donald Trump, who tweeted that the 75-year-old might be an "Antifa provocateur."
"Buffalo protester shoved by Police could be an Antifa provocateur," Trump tweeted. "75-year old Martin Gugino was pushed away after appearing to scan police communications in order to blackout the equipment. I watched, he fell harder than was pushed. Was aiming scanner. Could be a setup?"