These Are the Police Officers Shot During the Riots

by Mary Margaret Olohan

At least twelve police officers have been shot in the line of duty as riots and protests raged throughout the country following the death of George Floyd.

Floyd was a black man who died May 25 after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes, video of the incident showed. Derek Chauvin, the officer who knelt on Floyd’s neck, has been fired and arrested on second-degree murder and manslaughter charges.

News of Floyd’s death has prompted many to peacefully protest police brutality and violence, but spurred others to commit acts of looting, rioting and violence against police officers themselves.

A number of these police officers have been killed in the line of duty, including retired St. Louis police captain David Dorn, Santa Cruz County Deputy Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller, and contract security officer Dave Patrick Underwood.

Others, like Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Officer Shay Mikalonis, may be forced to reckon with injuries received during the riots for the rest of their lives.

David Dorn

Retired St. Louis police captain David Dorn died June 2 while attempting to protect a local pawnshop belonging to an old friend of his, Lee’s Pawn and Jewelry, from suspected looters.

Dorn died around 2:30 a.m. in the middle of a street after he was shot in the torso, according to a police incident report, and his killing was caught on a Facebook live video. He had served 38 years in the St. Louis Police Department before he retired.

David Patrick Underwood

Underwood and another officer, who was injured, were working as contract security officers for the Department of Homeland Security Federal Protective Service (FPS) when they were shot, according to an FBI press release. Oakland police have said that the shooting was most likely an incident targeting uniformed officers, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Sergeant Damon Gutzwiller was killed Saturday when he and other deputies investigated a suspicious vehicle and were allegeldy ambushed by a suspect using explosive devices and an assault rifle. The suspect shot Gutzwiller, who was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to a statement from the Santa Cruz Deputy Sheriff’s Association.

“Sergeant Damon Gutzwiller served the community of Santa Cruz County since 2006 when he was hired by the Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Office,” the association said in a statement. “During that time he served as a patrol deputy and detective. When he was promoted to Sergeant he performed as the leader that this community needed and deserved.”

“Damon was a beautiful person who cared most about his family,” the statement said. “He leaves behind a wife who is 3 weeks away from delivering their second child, and the love of his life Carter, their 2 year old son.”

Shay Mikalonis

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Officer Shay Mikalonis was shot in the head while he attempted to disperse protestors last week. His family said Tuesday that 29-year-old Mikalonis will probably remain on a ventilator for the remainder of his life, but that he is awake and “appears to recognize his family.”

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

Early reports said that Mikalonis was killed in Las Vegas after being shot in the head, but police later confirmed he was alive and on life support.

Four Unnamed St. Louis Police Officers

Four unnamed St. Louis police officers were shot in the line of duty on June 2, St. Louis MPD Public Information Officer Evita Caldwell told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

All four are expected to recover: Victim #1, a 52-year-old white male with 30 years of service, Victim #2, a 34-year-old white male with 12 years of service, Victim #3, a 36-year-old white male with 3 years of service, and Victim #4, a 28-year-old asian male with 1-year of service.

The officers were aiding the Civil Disobedience Team at 12:04 a.m. on June 2 when they “suddenly felt pain and realized they had been shot.”

“Due to the deployment of munitions by the SLMPD SWAT team, no gunshots were heard,” the incident report said. Caldwell told the DCNF that the St. Louis MPD does not provide the names of victims unless they are deceased and the next-of-kin has been notified.

“Victim #1 sustained a gunshot wound to his leg and was listed in stable condition,” the incident report said. “Victim #2 sustained a gunshot wounds to his leg and was listed in serious/stable condition. Victim #3 sustained a gunshot wound to his foot and was listed in serious/stable condition. Victim #4 sustained a gunshot wound to his arm and listed in serious/stable condition.”

Jason Scott And Rashad Martin

Officers Jason Scott and Rashad Martin were shot early in the morning on June 2 during an exchange of gunfire near the Manchester Bridge in Richmond, Virginia. Both officers are recovering but “have a lot in front of them as far as rehab,” a police supervisor said Friday according to the Richmond Times Dispatch.

Two Unnamed New York Cops

Two NYPD cops were shot and another was stabbed in the neck June 3 in what has been called an “unprovoked” attack, according to Fox News.

“I think we are all fed up with what we’re seeing and many levels. This violence has to stop,” NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea told Fox.

New York police officers have been targeted in multiple instances throughout the riots. Video footage posted June 1 shows rioters ganging up on a police officer only hours before an SUV reportedly plowed through a group of both police officers and National Guard members.

The New York Daily News also reported that a different SUV full of suspected looters crashed into an NYPD officer in Greenwich Village.

The New York Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the DCNF.

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Mary Margaret Olohan is a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation.