Las Vegas Cop Shot in the Head May Need Ventilator for Rest of His Life

A photo provided by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department shows officer Shay Mikalo
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department
Katherine Rodriguez

A Las Vegas cop who was shot in the head attempting to disperse a crowd of protesters on the Vegas Strip last week will likely need to be on a ventilator for the rest of his life, his family announced Tuesday.

The family of Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Officer Shay Mikalonis, 29, updated his condition in a statement released through the police department.

“Shay is on a ventilator and will be for the foreseeable future or perhaps the rest of his life,” the statement said.

Mikalonis is listed in critical condition at the University Medical Center trauma unit in Las Vegas, and is awake and “appears to recognize his family,” the family said.

“He had a set back today, but the outstanding staff at UMC is working hard to get his vitals back under control,” the update said.

The four-year veteran of the force underwent surgery to fix his shattered jaw on Tuesday.

He was hospitalized on June 1 after being shot near the Circus Circus casino following a protest over the death of George Floyd. The suspect, Edgar Samaniego, is being held without bond at the Clark County Detention Center on attempted murder and several other felony charges.

The Las Vegas Journal-Review reported that the 20-year-old suspect shot Mikalonis with a bullet that pierced his spine and lodged itself into the right side of his face.

Samaniego told the police in an interview that he was just trying to scare off the protesters and did not know that police were present.

The shooting took place on the same night Las Vegas police shot an armed man who appeared to be dressed in body armor near a courthouse. The man was pronounced dead on his way to the hospital.

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