The police officer whose helmet saved his life from the Orlando shooter’s bullet survived and was seen with nasty bruises on his head in a recent photo.
Orlando police identified Michael Napolitano as one of the officers who responded to the attack at the Pulse gay nightclub Sunday morning, in which at least 49 were killed.
The force had previously shared an image of his Kevlar helmet punctured by a bullet, and said the equipment had saved the life of Napolitano, who has served in the department since 2012.
Orlando police chief John Mina posted on Twitter Sunday that he had spoken with the officer, who was not seriously injured.
Napolitano appeared to be recovering in a photo shared by the law enforcement support group Sheriff Deputies, sporting a wound on his head but smiling next to two unidentified people.
The Facebook post called the policeman David, though the central figure appears to be the officer identified as Napolitano, who was seen in a video taken last year.
The footage published by the Orlando Sentinel was shared by a Kissimmee, Fla., teenager who said that Napolitano wrongfully arrested him last year.
Other law enforcement members who responded to the attack — the worst mass shooting in U.S. history — were identified Monday.
Officer Adam Gruler, whom the Sentinel reported was looking for an underage patron with a fake ID in the parking lot when shots rang out, was working extra duty and exchanged gunfire before retreating and calling for backup.
Lt. Scott Smith and Sgt. Jeffrey Backhaus were the first patrol officers on the scene.
They were joined by Napolitano and a SWAT team that included Timothy Stanley, Kevin Easterling, Andrew Bishop, Ricardo Duenas, Detective Raul Rivas, Sgt. James Parker and Lt. Jonathan Bigelow.
