It was a week ago Wednesday that a known gang member allegedly shot and critically wounded an Omaha Police officer, a member of the department’s Gang Unit. This force within the force deals with the most dangerous of dangerous.

Shots were fired several times all over north Omaha last Wednesday, another night for Omaha's gang unit.

"The expectations we have of them are high and we tell them to go out into those neighborhoods and arrest the gang members and put themselves in front of the shots, in front of the violent crime that's going on out there,” says Gang Unit Lt. Rich Gonzales.

Sgt. Bob Wondra is one of those on the front lines. "There is no typical night, that's the first thing. Our assignments are based on intel(intelligence) that we've gotten on some hot spots."

Last Wednesday night started with a search for a gunman near 31st and Fowler, a call for shots fired. More shots were fired later at 26th and Decatur, then a shooting at 43rd and Laurel left a man critically wounded. All of this created the so-called hot spot that led to an officer being shot.

Sgt. Wondra says a hot-spot is an area where there is a high level of activity such as calls for shots fired. He points to last Wednesday as an example. He and several other members of the Gang Unit were all over north Omaha on several calls for shots fired when Officer Paul Latschar stopped a known gang member at 42nd and Camden, when 30-year-old Corey Allen allegedly opened fire.

Contacting gang members is an essential duty of the Gang Unit's job. "It’s like what we do because it's important to take the guns from these guys because that's the way we keep shootings and homicides from happening,” says Sgt. Wondra, whose unit has already seized 24 guns this month and 93 since the first of the year.

"If we take a gun from these guys tonight, we know it's gonna stop a shooting from happening, maybe tonight, maybe next week, maybe two years from now."