Protester Shoved by Buffalo Police Has Brain Injury

Martin Gugino, the 75-year-old protester shoved to the ground by police in Buffalo last week, suffered a brain injury, his lawyer says. Gugino was hospitalized in serious but stable condition after the incident, which led to two officers being charged with assault. After he was shoved, he hit his head on the sidewalk and blood could be seen coming from his ear. His condition was upgraded to fair this week but he remains hospitalized. Attorney Kelly Zarcone says Gugino has started physical therapy and will not be doing media interviews because of the injury. "Martin is a soft spoken but thoughtful and principled man," Zarcone tells USA Today. "As heartbreaking as it is, his brain is injured and he is well aware of that now."

Associates describe Gugino as a devout Catholic and a passionate advocate for numerous causes. They say President Trump's claim that he was a Antifa provocateur who faked the fall could hardly be further from the truth. For "anyone to make statements that he is a fomenter of violence or any kind of terror is ridiculous," Victoria Ross, director of the Western New York Peace Center, tells People. "I really have to say his signature characteristic is he is is a devotee of nonviolence." Longtime friend Mark Colville tells CNN that the "shy and reserved" Gugino is very unlikely to respond publicly to Trump's tweet, but when he was told about it Tuesday, he "had a good chuckle out of it." (More Buffalo stories.)