ORLANDO, Fla. — An Orlando Police officer who has been in a coma since June 2018 has returned to Central Florida, according to the Orlando Police Department.
Officer Kevin Valencia was shot in the head on June 11 while responding to a domestic dispute at the Westbrook Apartment Complex near Universal. The shooting turned into a standoff in which four children and the suspect, Gary Lindsey, died.
Valencia was moved from Orlando Regional Medical Center, to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta in late June after showing signs of improvement.
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Officer Kevin Valencia has safely arrived! Members of our department gathered to welcome Kevin and his family as they continue on his long road to recovery. pic.twitter.com/8H12EsNIzs
— Orlando Police (@OrlandoPolice) February 13, 2019
Officer Valencia was escorted by our Motors division and taken to an area medical facility. We continue to pray for his recovery and the entire Valencia family. We also would like to thank the community for the compassion and support you have shown for them. #forevergrateful pic.twitter.com/wGDpBtZT1G
— Orlando Police (@OrlandoPolice) February 13, 2019
Orlando police said Valencia’s condition has not improved since moving to Georgia.
Several law enforcement agencies and organizations have held fundraisers for Valencia's family. A GoFundMe page for his family has raised more than $190,000.
"We remain committed to to helping [Kevin's wife] Meghan and the Valencia family during this incredibly difficult time," said Sgt. Eduardo Bernal of the Orlando Police Department.
Previous coverage: Orlando Officer Kevin Valencia responsive, moving to new treatment facility, family says
"I know they said he was not expected to live, but he actually wasn't, so the fact that his moving and responding is truly a miracle," Valencia's wife Meghan said about two weeks after the shooting. "You choose to spend the rest of your life with this person. The idea that that can still happen – no words can even express how ecstatic I was."
'I don't have time to be angry': Wife of wounded Orlando police officer shares update
The shooting and standoff ended with the death of Lindsey, as well as Dove, 1; Aiden, 6; Lillia, 10; and Irayan, 12.
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