ORLANDO, Fla. -- Orlando Police Ofc. Kevin Valencia, shot during a standoff that left four children dead, is still in critical condition in a coma and has a long road ahead, officials said Wednesday as his wife tearfully shared details about their family.  

"My husband is a true hero," his wife, Meghan, said during a Wednesday afternoon news conference from Orlando Regional Medical Center.

She also said the couple had been dating since they were 12 years old and have two young sons together. 

"I'm so sorry to those families. I'm a mom and I cannot even imagine what they are going through. It's more than anyone can bear. I know every officer wanted to get those children out. Everyone feels the weight of the world when they couldn't," she said.

Dr. Chadwick Smith, surgical critical care director at ORMC, confirmed that Kevin Valencia was shot in the head and remains in critical condition in a coma but does show signs of responsiveness.

“Kevin has a spirit and strength that cannot be limited by medicine. He is the first to teach and protect other members of the squad," said Ofc. Talmon Hall, a colleague of Kevin's.

"This man was everything to me. He was my first love. This person is literally everything to me. ... He was a true hero to everybody. ... He has to come back," Meghan Valencia said.

"Everybody, please pray for him. He needs all the support he can get. So he can live."

Only 1 firearm, not 5

At the news conference, Orlando Police Chief John Mina corrected the number of firearms found in the apartment after the four children and suspect Gary Lindsey Jr. were found dead.

He said Tuesday that there were five firearms. But at ORMC, he said only one firearm, a .380-caliber handgun, was found with Lindsey, a convicted felon.

The Medical Examiner determined that that gun was used to kill all four children, who ranged in age from 12 to 1 year old. Lindsey stole it from his father, Mina said.

Asked about the lengthy, 21-hour standoff and any action -- or inaction -- taken by law enforcement, he said, "You never want to do anything that might provoke action that would harm the children. We follow our training and experience in these situations" so the hostages aren't put at any more risk, he said.

According to records, Lindsey was recommended to serve a six month jail sentence after violating probation last month. He was on probation until the year 2045 and has a criminal past that includes charges of arson and domestic violence.

The mother of the four children killed has made several reports to police in years past about Lindsey's abusive and threatening behavior. At one point, according to records, she applied to get a protective order, but a judge refused after the mother did not show up to court.

Last month Lindsey violated probation when he was accused of stealing from a Sanford Walmart. 

That alone could have had him in jail at the time of this week’s shooting.

"I will say, knowing all that information, it is a shame this person was not behind bars. I'll leave it at that. I don't know why someone would get community control until the year 2045. In my opinion, based on what I know, that person should have been behind bars," Mina said.

Costly recovery

Online crowdfunding pages have been set up for Ofc. Kevin Valencia and his family, who face a long road ahead, and the family of the mother of two of the children killed in the standoff. The GoFundMe pages listed above are not managed by Spectrum News. For more information on how the site works and the rules, visit http://www.gofundme.com/safety.


Spectrum News' Greg Angel, Audrea Huff and Anthony Leone contributed to this report.