An Omaha Police officer is recovering after being shot in the head during a confrontation with a suspect outside a QuikTrip near 120th and West Dodge Road early Monday morning.
The shooting happened around 6:20 a.m. after employees reported an “erratic and aggressive” individual inside the gas station, Police Chief Todd Schmaderer said. Two officers responded and spoke with the suspect outside. What began as a conversation escalated into gunfire, striking a 15-year veteran officer in the head.
Despite his injuries, the officer continued returning fire. Schmaderer said the officer is expected to recover. “We are very lucky we did not lose an officer,” the chief said during a morning news conference alongside Mayor John Ewing Jr.
The suspect fled but was arrested less than an hour later near the McDonald’s at 114th and Dodge. He was taken into custody without further incident. OPD said there is no ongoing threat to the public.
Governor Jim Pillen shared a message on X calling the officer a hero and asking Nebraskans to “say a prayer for each of them.”