Martin Gugino was pushed by Buffalo police officers before falling backward and bleeding out on the floor in a graphic video that was widely circulated on social media. The incident not only sparked outrage nationwide and internationally but also led to the suspension of the officers involved and the resignation of 57 Buffalo police officers in protest.
A day after the video went viral, a new footage has emerged from Niagara Square, where the incident took place on Thursday, of protesters saying he was trying to provoke the cops.
Gugino Was Trying to Start Something, Say Protesters
In the clip, Gugino can be seen arguing with a group of protesters before the man recording the video asks one of the protesters, an African American male wearing a hat, what's going on. "This dude right here, he just started asking questions and he said he came down here for fun," the man answers. "What the f—k is fun about this s—t?".
"I don't see no f-----g grill, I don't see no music, I don't see no dancing," the man says before pointing out that the 75-year-old is "looking to get punched in the face." The video concludes with a blonde woman arguing with Gugino.
"He was literally called out by peaceful protesters for being there yesterday," wrote Twitter user Rachel Danielle alongside the video. "He's a professional "protester" who does this to start nonsense. I wouldn't side with him on this one".
Moments later, Gugino was shoved by two police officers causing him to fall backward and hit his head on the concrete before he starts bleeding from his ears. Emergency medical attention was then administered to the victim before he was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment, where he is currently in a stable but serious condition, as previously reported.
Gugino Tried to Instigate the Crowd
Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown addressed Thursday's incident in a press conference on Friday afternoon, saying that Gugino was an agitator who was trying to rile up the crowd and was asked to leave the area "numerous" times. "What we were informed of is that that individual was an agitator. He was trying to spark up the crowd of people. Those people were there into the darkness. Our concern is when it gets dark, there is a potential for violence," Brown said.
"There has been vandalism, there have been fires set, there have been stores broken into and looted. According to what was reported to me, that individual was a key major instigator of people engaging in those activities," he added. Brown's statement came after 57 officers on the Emergency Response Team resigned from their positions in support of their two colleagues who were suspended without pay after the video showed them pushing and injuring Gugino.
Was it Staged?
The new video footage has fueled the conspiracy theory that Gugino's fall was orchestrated and that he was trying to incite an extreme reaction from the police using fake blood to make them look like the "bad guys" on camera.
As previously reported, conspiracy theorists are pushing the theory with images showing an odd bump on the back of Gugino's head, a can of fake blood, a squirting device and a photo of the man lying on the ground in a pool of blood pointing out two straps coming out of the man's mask, one of which they claim is the wire connecting the device.
