Mount Vernon officer Mike McClaughry will 'most likely' be blind, family says

MOUNT VERNON, Wash. -- The daughter of Mount Vernon police officer Mike McClaughry said that her father will "most likely" be blind after he was shot in the head last month while responding to a call.

"It is with much heartache to inform you all that we have been told that most likely my dad will be blind," his daughter April said on the Officer Mike McClaughry Facebook Page Sunday.

"We are very devastated to hear this news as it changes our lives forever and for sure my fathers," April continued. "We are holding onto some hope that his brain will heal and recover but we are also trying to prepare ourselves for the future and probable reality."

McClaughry was responding to a shooting in Mount Vernon, 60 miles north of Seattle 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.

Two teenagers in the home also have been charged. Authorities said police faced repeated gunfire during the standoff.

McClaughry's health has improved in the past month, April said previously. He now speaks, and taps his hand to the beat of some of his favorite music.

McClaughry has been able to see light, April said.

"My mother asked him once if he could see light and he said 'yes,' she then asked him if he could see her and he didn't have a response," April said.

Along with other support options, an upcoming fundraiser and spaghetti feed is planned for February 13 in Mount Vernon.