NEWPORT BEACH : Injured Officer Shows Slight Improvement

Doctors reported slight improvement Thursday in the condition of Robert J. Henry, the 30-year-old Newport Beach police officer who is comatose with severe head injuries after a double shooting Sunday that left a second man dead.

“Henry’s brain-stem reflexes are slightly better than they were yesterday,” his neurosurgeon said in a statement released from Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian. “However, it’s still too soon to tell if he’ll survive or what impairments he may have if he does.”

Surgeons worked 5 1/2 hours Sunday to remove bullet fragments from Henry’s brain. Doctors said Wednesday that brain swelling had not worsened and that there were no other medical complications.

“It’s a miracle Henry was even alive when they brought him to Hoag last Sunday, and it’s another miracle that he has brain activity,” the neurosurgeon said. “His youth and otherwise excellent physical condition are key reasons why he’s alive today.”

Police reported no progress in unraveling the bizarre circumstances of the case.

Henry, 30, a five-year veteran, was found lying wounded beneath the slain man, Carlos Caicedo, 24, of Garden Grove, in a Newport Beach church parking lot near 16th Street and Dover Drive at 4:10 a.m. Sunday.

Both weapons found at the site of the shooting had been fired but police do not know yet what happened, Police Sgt. Andy Gonis said.

Meanwhile, donations continued to flow into a fund that Newport Beach police have set up for Henry’s family. Henry and his wife are parents of three children, including a month-old daughter.