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Family says wounded Washington state officer may be blind

In this undated photo released by the Mount Vernon Police shows 61-year-old Washington state police officer Mike “Mick” McClaughry, who suffered a gunshot wound to the head while investigating a reported shooting in a Mount Vernon neighborhood in Washington. (Mount Vernon Police / Associated Press)
In this undated photo released by the Mount Vernon Police shows 61-year-old Washington state police officer Mike “Mick” McClaughry, who suffered a gunshot wound to the head while investigating a reported shooting in a Mount Vernon neighborhood in Washington. (Mount Vernon Police / Associated Press)

SEATTLE – The family of a Washington state police officer who was shot in the head last month while responding to a call may be permanently blind as a result of his injuries.

KOMO-TV reported that officer Mike McClaughry’s daughter April posted on social media that the family is hoping McClaughry’s brain recovers, but it is likely he will never see again.

The post says some doctors say it won’t be known for sure if McClaughry can see until he is conscious enough to communicate.

He was responding to a shooting in Mount Vernon, 60 miles north of Seattle, on Dec. 15 when he was shot. After a lengthy standoff at a home, officers arrested Ernesto Lee Rivas, a 44-year-old repeat felon who has been charged with attempted first-degree murder.