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Lawyer for 75-Year-Old NY Protester Who Fractured Skull in Police Shove Updates on Condition

Two Buffalo police officers were charged with second-degree assault after a widely shared video captured Martin Gugino falling to the ground, blood pouring from his head, after being pushed on June 4

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What to Know

  • Martin Gugino, a 75-year-old protester who hit his head on the pavement after he was shoved by cops during a Buffalo protest, is still in the hospital
  • He fractured his skull and can't walk, but his lawyer says he has some good days now as well as hard ones; he won't be discharged this week
  • Two Buffalo police officers were charged with second-degree assault after a widely shared video captured Gugino falling to the ground June 4

The 75-year-old New York protester who fractured his skull when he hit his head on the pavement after being shoved by police in Buffalo earlier this month is still in a hospital rehab and won't be discharged this week, his attorney said Tuesday.

Martin Gugino's lawyer, Kelly Zarcone, said she had visited her client earlier in the day and that he is continuing his recovery, having good days and bad. It's not clear if he can walk yet; last week she said he was unable to do so.

"Today was a good day.  He holds up his end of a complex conversation just fine and his sense of humor has not suffered one bit," Zarcone said. "He is continually delighted with the outpouring of well wishes from people around the globe.  I brought him a big stack of cards and emails which people sent to my office to cheer him on."

Gugino hasn't spoken to the press since the widely seen shove earlier this month. Zarcone says he's focused exclusively on healing at the moment.

Two Buffalo police officers were charged with second-degree assault after video of Gugino falling to the ground after being pushed on June 4 went viral. The Buffalo area-retiree was seen bleeding from his head as officers walked away.

The officers, who could face prison sentences of up to seven years if convicted, have pleaded not guilty.

President Donald Trump, who has long sowed disinformation on Twitter, spread an unfounded conspiracy theory Tuesday about a 75-year-old man hospitalized after he was pushed by a police officer during a peaceful protest last week in Buffalo, New York.

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