LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Flashing a thumbs-up to his well-wishers, a police officer who was critically wounded while responding to a mass shooting at a Louisville bank in April was discharged from the hospital on Friday after enduring multiple surgeries and intensive therapy.
Louisville Metro Police Officer Nickolas Wilt still has a “long road” ahead in his recovery, but now he gets to sleep in his own bed and enjoy the steak dinner he requested, said his brother, Zack Wilt.
The officer was discharged from UofL Health – Frazier Rehabilitation Institute, an acute rehab hospital. In a social media post, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear called it an answer to prayers statewide, calling Wilt a “hero who ran toward danger.” One of Beshear's closest friends was killed in the bank shooting.
Nickolas Wilt was shot in the head during the deadly shooting on April 10 at Old National Bank in downtown Louisville. The officer suffered a traumatic brain injury, but his brother said he's shown resilience and determination every step of the way in his recovery. The officer's favorite catch-phrase during his rehabilitation: “Let’s boogie-woogie,” his brother said.
“He wants to get back to it," Zack Wilt told reporters shortly before his brother left the hospital. "He was a 26-year-old, very active, helping young man and he is going to get back to that.”
The officer will continue his therapy through outpatient care at Frazier starting next week. The continued treatment will be to, among other things, strengthen his arms and legs and to get him talking more, although he is “talking and talking well,” said Dr. Darryl Kaelin, medical director at Frazier.
"I truly believe that there is no limits to the potential of what he can achieve,” he said.
First up, though, will be that steak dinner, Zack Wilt said.
““Nick gets to go home today, sleep in his own bed, with his own TV,” he said. "And he’s been asking for a steak dinner for a couple weeks now. And you bet we’re going to get him a steak dinner tonight.”
Less than two weeks after graduating from the police academy, Wilt found himself responding to the April shooting. Authorities commended his bravery, saying he “ran towards the gunfire” to save lives.
Louisville's mayor and police chief joined Wilt's family and health care workers who gathered Friday to celebrate Wilt's release from the hospital more than 3 1/2 months since the shooting.
Police Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel called it a great day to “celebrate our brother in blue” going home. When visiting him Thursday, she recalled that Wilt shook her hand and said “thanks, chief” as she prepared to leave. She called it the highlight of her day.
“Never thought that I would be able to hear those words,” the chief said.
People lined up, two or three deep, in the Frazier lobby for the officer's send-off Friday.
Nickolas Wilt gave up a thumbs-up as he appeared, accompanied by his family and others close to him. Smiling well-wishers waved back and one gave Wilt a gentle fist bump. The celebration was quiet, at the request of Wilt's family, but cheers erupted once the officer and his entourage left the hospital lobby.
Wilt was wounded when a gunman opened fire with an AR-15 assault-style rifle, killing five while livestreaming before officers fatally shot him. Another eight people were injured, including Wilt.
The officer was in critical condition for nearly a month, undergoing multiple surgeries and overcoming infections. He was transferred to Frazier on May 10, where he has received neuro and physical rehabilitation, according to a release from UofL Health.
Zack Wilt on Friday thanked the health professionals who provided medical care for his brother and continue doing so. He expressed appreciation for the outpouring of support for his brother.
And he remembered the victims of the bank shooting and their families, saying: “It breaks our heart every day knowing that there are people hurting still.”
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg, who survived a shooting at his campaign office in 2022, urged the city's residents to never forget the victims of gun violence and called for collective action to quell the violence. Greenberg escaped the attempt on his life unharmed last year, but a bullet grazed his sweater.
“Let’s fight to protect officers, like Officer Wilt, who work every day to save others,” the mayor said Friday. “Let’s fight to protect every child, every son and daughter, across our city from the fear of gun violence. And let's fight together to make gun violence a plague of the past."
