ST. LOUIS — Officer Travis Brown, who sustained severe injuries during a protest marking the tenth anniversary of Michael Brown’s death, was transferred to a rehabilitation facility on Tuesday. Although he remains unable to speak, his condition has shown notable improvement, as conveyed by a family friend.

In a show of solidarity, over 100 officers and first responders from various departments around St. Louis escorted an ambulance carrying Officer Brown from St. Louis University Hospital to the Spirit of St. Louis Airport in Chesterfield, Missouri. He was then flown to a rehabilitation center located in Atlanta, with the aircraft emblazoned with the phrase “survival flight.”

Terence Monroe, a friend of the family, noted that while Officer Brown has not yet spoken since the incident on August 9, he is “cognitively all there,” offering a glimmer of hope amid a challenging recovery. Ebonie Davis, Brown’s cousin, shared that the officer has experienced a tough journey but emphasized the encouraging turn of events.

“We’re looking forward to him getting stronger and returning to the Travis we know and love. This is a significant day for our family,” Davis remarked.

Officer Brown underwent multiple surgeries to relieve swelling and fluid build-up in his brain. The suspect in the incident, 28-year-old Elijah Gantt from East St. Louis, Illinois, is currently awaiting trial on various charges.

The city of Ferguson became a focal point in the nationwide Black Lives Matter movement following the 2014 shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed Black teenager, by Officer Darren Wilson. It is important to note that Travis Brown is not related to Michael Brown.

Three independent inquiries concluded that there was no basis for prosecuting Wilson, who resigned from the police force in November 2014. The aftermath of Michael Brown’s death ignited months of protests, some of which turned violent, and prompted a U.S. Department of Justice investigation that mandated reforms in Ferguson’s policing and judicial practices.

On the anniversary of Michael Brown’s death, tensions escalated when some protesters began to shake and damage a fence outside the police station. This prompted Officer Travis Brown and other law enforcement personnel to start making arrests. Police later released video footage from body cameras and surveillance that seemed to show Gantt charging towards Officer Brown on a sidewalk, resulting in Brown falling and striking the back of his head during the confrontation. Both individuals involved are of African American descent.