GRAPHIC: Omaha Police share body-camera images from officer-involved shooting

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Omaha Police shared four disturbing images from officers’ body cameras of the Thursday afternoon incident that led to an officer-involved shooting in south Omaha.

WARNING: The video in this post contains an image, which also appears lower in this post, from Omaha Police body camera footage. The image may be disturbing to some viewers.

Omaha Police officers were called at 2:33 p.m. Thursday to assist with a disturbance at 41st Avenue and I Street. According to an OPD release sent later that night, Officers Josiah Warren and Aaron Thompson responded to a home in the area after a caller informed dispatch that his mother “was possessed and controlling him with her mind.”

When the officers arrived at the scene, a woman in distress led them to Justin Michalak, whose shirt was soaked with blood and holding a knife. After several struggles with him, deploying a Taser twice, the officers backed out of the house, the OPD report states. When Michalak began attacking the woman, Warren fired his weapon, hitting Michalak in the cheek.

In addition to the gunshot, Michalak was treated for several self-inflicted injuries, including a cut to the neck, which caused the large amounts of blood on his shirt, reports state.

OPD Chief Todd Schmaderer authorized the release of images from the officers’ body cameras on Thursday night, providing four images to local news media. 6 News initially chose not to publish those images as they were graphic in nature, but decided Friday to publish one of the images below and in our newscasts.

The Nebraska State Patrol and the Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office are assisting Omaha Police with the investigation, which remains in-process.

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