Protester shoved by Buffalo police released from hospital

A 75-year-old protester who was knocked to the ground earlier this month by police in Buffalo was released from the hospital on Tuesday, according to his lawyer. 

Kelly Zarcone, a lawyer representing Martin Gugino, said her client was released from the hospital Tuesday and will be recovering at an undisclosed location to ensure his privacy.  

“I was able to see Martin today and he looks great. He can walk with a little help and his condition will continue to improve with rest and time,” Zarcone said in a statement. 

“I brought him the cards and letters sent to my office and he said he still felt overjoyed at the continued support and well wishes, ‘like it was Christmas Day,’” she added. 

Zarcone said Gugino looks forward to “the continued implementation of systemic changes to eliminate police brutality.”

Zarcone had previously said that Gugino, while still hospitalized, was unable to walk and had fractured his skull after the confrontation with police. 

Gugino was protesting racial injustice in Buffalo amid nationwide demonstrations sparked by the police killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man in Minneapolis.  

Video footage of the incident from earlier this month showed two officers shoving Gugino back and leaving him on the sidewalk bleeding out of his ear and motionless after he fell to the ground. 

Two officers involved were suspended after footage of the incident went viral. They have been charged with second-degree assault. 

President Trump acknowledged the incident by sharing an unfounded conspiracy theory suggesting Gugino “could be an ANTIFA provocateur” and claiming it “could be a set up.”

He was widely condemned over the tweet that seemed to refer to a report from the right-wing One America News Network (OANN).