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Orlando LEO critically wounded in standoff breathing on his own

Officer Kevin Valencia, who was shot in the head during the standoff, remains comatose in critical condition

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Officer Kevin Valencia, 27, was shot while responding to a domestic-violence call at a west-Orlando apartment complex on June 11.

Photo/Orlando Police Department

By Michael Williams
Orlando Sentinel

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando police officer who was shot in the head and critically injured nearly two weeks ago is breathing on his own, a police spokesperson confirmed.

Officer Kevin Valencia, 27, was shot while responding to a domestic-violence call at a west-Orlando apartment complex on June 11. His shooting was the catalyst for a standoff that ended when Gary Wayne Lindsey Jr killed four children before turning the gun on himself.

Valencia, a married father of two young children, remains comatose in critical condition, a police spokesperson said.

Valencia’s wife, Meghan Valencia, described him as an amazing father and husband who she’s been with since they were both 12 years old.

“My boys need a daddy, and I need my husband, and this community needs a real hero,” she said shortly after the shooting.

©2018 The Orlando Sentinel (Orlando, Fla.)