‘Our brother in blue’: Nickolas Wilt to be released from hospital Friday

Louisville Metro Police Officer Nickolas Wilt is set to be discharged from the University of Louisville Hospital Friday after almost four months there, officials from UofL Health said in a release Thursday.

Wilt was shot in the head April 10 while responding to the mass shooting at Old National Bank with his training officer, Cory Galloway. Galloway killed the gunman minutes after Wilt was shot outside the East Main Street bank.

"I'm overjoyed that our brother in blue, our family member is going to be able to walk out of that hospital," LMPD Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel told The Courier Journal. "I am so relieved to know that...his journey of recovery is still there, but he's still progressing every day."

Gwinn-Villaroel commended Wilt's resiliency and strength through his recovery process and reiterated that he has a department of people that are there for him.

The 26-year-old was in critical condition for nearly a month and has undergone brain surgery and battled pneumonia, among other infections. He was moved to Frazier Rehab on May 10 and will continue therapy there through outpatient care, the release reads.

Wilt, who graduated from the police academy March 31, was one of eight people injured in the shooting.

Five people were killed at the bank — Josh Barrick, 40; Deana Eckert, 57; Tommy Elliott, 63; Juliana Farmer, 45; and Jim Tutt Jr., 64. — along with the gunman.

Reporter Ana Rocío Álvarez Bríñez contributed. Reach reporter Caleb Wiegandt at cwiegandt@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @CalebWiegandt.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Nickolas Wilt to be released from hospital