What started as a theft investigation ended with a Douglas County Sheriff's deputy shooting a suspect Wednesday morning at a downtown Omaha hotel. Four people were taken into custody.

It happened at the downtown Marriott Courtyard at 10th and Dodge.

Sheriff Tim Dunning says the case began with an investigation of a purse that was stolen. A credit card was among the items in that purse and used by a suspect to pay for a room.

"They had rented the room at the Courtyard Marriott and the hotel staff became suspicious that they were possibly using someone else's identity,” says Sheriff Dunning. “They called the people whose identification was being used and they stated that they had not, that they had a theft from their vehicle."

Two sheriff's deputies, Mike Smith and Brenda Wheeler, went to the fourth floor room around 10:15 a.m. "The deputies found that a male and female were leaving the room as they approached it the deputies inquired as to why they were using someone else's credit card to rent the room," says Dunning. "There was a scuffle in the hallway that made its way into the apartment."

During the scuffle, a .22 caliber loaded gun fell out of a pair of rolled up jeans the suspect was carrying.

The man then hit Deputy Smith in the back of the head with a vase, leaving a four-inch gash. "He got a pretty good laceration on the back of his head," says Dunning.

Smith then shot 32-year-old Jason Galle once in the chest. Galle also suffered a broken leg during the struggle with Deputy Smith. Galle was taken to Creighton University Medical Center with serious injuries, but the sheriff said later his condition had stabilized.

A woman who was with Galle, 23-year-old Dana McCoy, was also taken to the hospital as a precaution because she's pregnant. She was later charged with possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine and two counts of felony theft.

"It's very unfortunate that the deputy had to go through that, but I think he handled himself professionally and according to his training and the suspect can be thankful that he's not dead," says Dunning.

"Jason Galle has a pretty extensive criminal record. In fact for sure some charges will be fugitive of justice from the state of Iowa and from the state of Nebraska."

A criminal record that might soon also include charges of ID theft, not only for Galle, but also McCoy. "We know there are other IDs being used because the ID the female had given Deputy Wheeler and that ID, we're not even sure who that person is yet."

Both deputies are on administrative leave while the investigation into the shooting continues. Smith has been in the department at least 10 years. Sheriff Dunning says Wheeler has been there 16 or 17 years.

Neither one was armed with a Taser, but coincidentally Smith had just completed a gun training course that addressed when to use deadly force.

A trail of credit card purchases led deputies to the hotel. The cards came from a purse that had been stolen Sunday from a car parked outside St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church at 153rd and Pacific. The owner's cell phone, cash, garage door opener and identification were also in the purse.

"Deputies were alerted to the Courtyard Marriott because it was suspected that the ID was being used to rent a room that was not being used by the owner of that credit card," says Dunning. "This was just a routine follow-up investigation that turned into a shooting."

"I'm having a good feeling about the fact that I think we've probably broken up a ring of identity theft." The reason Sheriff Dunning mentioned an ID theft ring is that when they found suspects Galle and McCoy in the hotel, they were actually on their way to another room where 37-year-old Eldrid Dightman and 22-year-old Daniel Luichinger were with a copy machine and other ID-making materials.

Both were charged with felony possession of methamphetamine and felony illegal use of a credit card.