The 75-year-old protester who got pushed to the ground by Buffalo Police while attending a peaceful protest has been left with a fractured skull and unable to walk according to his lawyer.
As attorney Kelly Zarcone confirmed in an interview with CNN, her client is still unable to walk and could only talk to her for a short time before feeling too tired to go on.
Buffalo Police officers Robert McCabe and Aaron Torgalski have been charged with assault after pushing Martin Gugino, 75, to the ground and causing him to bleed from his head.
As seen in the footage taken at the time of the incident, Gugino appeared to have peacefully approached the marching police force when the cops in question shoved him away causing him to fall and crack his head.
While the officers’ colleagues greeted Torgalski and McCabe with loud cheering as they were released from the court without bail, the cops face up to 7 years in jail if they are found guilty of committing a class D felony.
According to DA John Flynn, the police officers “violated the law” as they assaulted “a harmless 75-year-old man” who attempted to return a police helmet according to the change.org petition that wants to see officer Torgalski get fired.
Flynn has also explained that the officers are facing a felony charge due to the fact that the victim is older than 65 years.
“Some may say I’m choosing sides here by arresting and prosecuting police officers and I say that is ridiculous. I’m not choosing sides… I’m on this country’s side,” the DA said.
According to Gugino’s lawyer, Kelly Zarcone, the elderly protester had suffered a skull fracture and is still not able to walk due to the fall he suffered at the time of the incident.
Speaking to CNN, Zarcone said:
“I am not at liberty to elaborate at this time other than to confirm that his skull was fractured. While he is not able to walk yet, we were able to have a short conversation before he became too tired.”
As the attorney added, her client is thankful for the support he received and remains focused on the issues at hand rather than on his own wellbeing.
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Replaced!