Wounded Officer Still Unconscious : Police: Hospital tests show Henry has developed severe brain swelling. Well-wishers send prayers, gifts. Dead man may have been suicidal, officials say.

A police officer shot in the head during a weekend double-shooting has not regained consciousness and sophisticated tests performed Tuesday to determine brain activity showed severe brain swelling, according to hospital officials.

Robert J. Henry is breathing with the assistance of a ventilator in the intensive care unit at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, where he has remained in critical condition since Sunday’s shooting. As family and friends pray for his recovery, they are being showered with an outpouring of support--flowers, phone calls, money and cards--from well-wishers across the county and beyond.

Henry, 30, a five-year veteran, was found shot in the head early Sunday morning, lying beneath slain suspect Carlos E. Caicedo, 24, of Garden Grove. It appears the men may have fired upon each other about 4:10 a.m., police said. The officer’s service weapon and another handgun at the scene had both been fired, Sgt. Andy Gonis said. Ballistic tests are pending.

“Officer Henry has neither deteriorated nor improved,” said his neurosurgeon. A CAT scan performed Tuesday “shows severe swelling of the brain,” a hospital spokeswoman said late in the day. “This is a very serious injury.” The spokeswoman declined to further discuss the tests.

Henry’s wife, Patty, issued a statement late Tuesday through the Police Department, saying family members are focusing all their energy on the critically injured officer.

“Bob loves being a police officer and serving the community. The only thing that came before this was his family,” the statement reads in part. “The family sincerely appreciates the support of all those who have reached out to them and asks for your continued prayers for Bob’s recovery.”

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Earlier Tuesday, the family of the suspect took issue with the treatment they have received from Newport Beach police during the investigation. They also disputed police reports that he was possibly suicidal and also despondent over not having custody of his young son.

In an interview conducted in Spanish at the family’s Garden Grove home, Mary Caicedo charged that police detained the family at their own home while police searched for clues without a warrant.

But worse, Mary Caicedo said, police delayed informing them that their son was dead until the couple had answered officers’ questions and investigators had completed their hourlong search of the house.

“I kept asking about my son, if he was in a hospital. But the police kept telling me they would tell me later,” she said.

Gonis defended the investigators’ delay in notifying the family about Caicedo’s death.

“We thought we had other suspects, possibly other family members involved,” Gonis said. “We were being cautious to a certain extent.”

Relatives describe Caicedo as an Army veteran and a part-time security guard who had aspirations of becoming a police officer.

Authorities have said the weekend tragedy may have been precipitated by Caicedo, who was despondent, drunk and armed at the time of the shooting.

A farewell letter found in Caicedo’s bedroom bade his family good-by, asked for forgiveness and instructed his parents how to disperse his belongings, police have said, and added that relatives indicated Caicedo was upset because of a custody dispute involving his young son.

Mary Caicedo said the letter seized from her son’s bedroom is not a suicide letter but in fact was a “sentimental” poem expressing his love for his parents and siblings. She said the letter is in an entry in a notebook where Caicedo had penned other poems and writings--all of them in Spanish--about his life and family.

“There was nothing in the poem or the notebook about suicide,” Mary Caicedo said. “My son never talked about suicide.”

But Gonis insisted the document is a letter, and declined to discuss its specifics.

Mary Caicedo also denied that her son was disturbed about a custody battle for his 4-year-old son, who lives in Florida with Caicedo’s former wife.

“They’ve been divorced for almost three years. The child has been in Florida all that time, but Carlos was in frequent contact with him and his former wife,” she said.

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Mary Caicedo complained that police officers seized several of her son’s belongings, including a holster and Mace, but did not have a search warrant or the family’s permission to do so.

Gonis acknowledged that officers lacked a search warrant but said the family gave investigators permission to take the letter. Gonis refused to discuss any other items taken.

Family members said officers arrived early Sunday morning, about 8:30 a.m., without a Spanish-speaking investigator. Mary Caicedo said that she and her husband, who is also named Carlos, were questioned for about 30 minutes in English. The parents are not proficient in English.

“It was difficult and confusing. We didn’t know why they were here, only that it had something to do with my son,” said Mary Caicedo, who said a Spanish-speaking officer arrived later.

Mary Caicedo said the family, which owns a janitorial business, relied heavily on her son to help them get cleaning contracts.

“He spoke good English. He negotiated contracts for us. Our entire business, our entire lives, depended on him,” said Mary Caicedo.

Meanwhile, Newport Beach Police Chief Robert J. McDonell said his department is pulling together during a difficult time.

“Our focus right now is on the needs of the family and supporting each other within the organization,” McDonell said. “And we are making every effort to provide a clear understanding of what happened.”

In the two days since the shooting, the Newport Beach Police Department has been flooded with condolences.

Elaborate food plates arrived at the station sent by wives of Garden Grove police officers, Gonis said, and a steady stream of floral arrangements were going to the hospital and the station house.

The department is asking that, in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to the family. The Henrys are the parents of three children--one born last month. Several hundred dollars has already been collected. A captain at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department sent a $500 check, Gonis said. Gestures came from people throughout the county, such as the Newport Beach company that sent a card with three dozen signatures.

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San Luis Obispo Police Chief James Gardiner--a former Newport Beach police officer--phoned his condolences, a call that carried special significance: Gardiner and a fellow officer were shot and injured by a drunk driver in 1970--the last time a Newport Beach officer had been hit by gunfire.

The department was “there for me and I want to be there for them,” Gardiner said.

At Mater Dei High School, where Henry graduated in 1983, morning prayers on the campus were dedicated again Tuesday to the wounded police officer, described as a big-hearted friend who even as a teen-ager seemed destined for public service.

“He seemed like he was going to be in community service of some kind . . . he was such a nice guy,” said high school friend John Healey.

An above-average student and member of the student council, Henry was recalled as a hard-working athlete, who was a backup linebacker on the football team and weightlifting enthusiast.

“He was one of those solid kids that you tend to take for granted,” said Mater Dei administrator John Merino, who was assistant principal in 1983.

A neighbor who visited the family at Hoag but did not want to be identified said Henry’s wife is striving to keep her mood upbeat.

“She’s holding up extremely well, considering the circumstances,” she said. “They appreciate the prayers. It was very positive. You could feel a lot of love with the family.”

Times staff writer Ken Ellingwood and correspondent Jeff Bean contributed to this report.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Wife Tells About Officer, Family

The following is a statement released by Newport Beach police. It was taken from a letter written by Robert J. Henry’s wife, Patty Henry.

Bob is a native Californian. He attended St. Barbara’s Elementary School and graduated from Mater Dei High School in 1983. He and his wife Patty were married in 1987. They have 3 children: Bobby (age 6). Jenna (age 2), and Alyssa (born on 2/8/95). Bob enjoys working out, surfing, music, and has a very strong faith. Bob loves being a police officer and serving the community. The only thing that came before this was his family. Bob has always been a genuine, loving, caring individual, who goes out of his way to help anyone, and can always bring a smile to your face.

Bob’s immediate family includes his mother and father, sister and two brothers. His wife’s family includes her mom and dad, two sisters and three brothers, and all reside in Southern California. The family sincerely appreciates the support of all those who have reached out to them and asks for your continued prayers for Bob’s recovery.”