Omaha Police chief shares new details on officer-involved shootings

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Police Chief Todd Schmaderer held a news conference Tuesday to share additional information about two recent officer-involved shootings that have occurred in the last three days.

Schmaderer said Sunday’s incident is still under investigation but might be a “suicide-by-cop” event. Police said that at some point during the standoff, 23-year-old Jeramyah Wilson was yelling at the officers to shoot him.

OPD identified the officers involved in Sunday’s shooting as Dominic Lombardo, who has been an officer for 1.5 years; and Justin Georgius, who has 14 years of service. Both officers have been placed on paid administrative leave while an investigation is conducted.

In recounting the events of Halloween night, Schmaderer said one officer allegedly saw Wilson holding a handgun, and police took cover and spoke with him for roughly six minutes before the shooting. Georgius was taking cover at the rear of the vehicle, and Lombardo was positioned toward the passenger-side door.

Wilson allegedly made eye contact with Lombardo when he made a quick movement to the passenger side of the vehicle. That’s when both officers fired their weapons, striking Wilson, who was later pronounced dead at a hospital.

Further investigation revealed that Wilson’s handgun was not loaded during the standoff with the two officers. But police did find bullet casings on the street where the initial shots fired call was placed.

MONDAY NIGHT SHOOTING

Most recently, a 31-year-old man was shot by an Omaha Police officer during a Halloween event near Minne Lusa Boulevard and Newport Avenue.

The man allegedly drove through barricades and into an area where hundreds of people were gathered. According to police, the driver did not have headlights on and was traveling in the wrong direction when he drove through the barricades into the event at about 7 p.m. Monday.

Chief Schmaderer said Officer Bryson Blandford, who has four years of experience as an officer, was handing out candy at the event when he heard a call from another officer that a vehicle had gone through the barricade.

“The event was barricaded off so no vehicular traffic could travel down Minne Lusa Boulevard as this event draws hundreds of people both in the streets, sidewalks, yards, and the large center median area,” according to an OPD news release on the incident.

Blandford then saw the vehicle, moved through the crowd of people toward the front of the vehicle, and gave five verbal commands to the driver to stop the vehicle, according to the chief’s update. Schmaderer noted during the news conference that officers aren’t usually in front of a vehicle during an incident, and have been better trained at how to respond when approaching a vehicle from behind or along the side.

The driver allegedly did not follow the commands and continued moving forward. That’s when Blandford shot him. Omaha Police say the incident was captured on body cam.

Schmaderer said Blandford fired his weapon seven times, striking the driver three times: in his jaw and each shoulder.

“Multiple witness statements provided information that [the man] was driving his vehicle recklessly through the barricaded event,” the OPD report states.

Blandford then rendered medical aid to the driver, who was then taken by Omaha Fire paramedics to the hospital in serious condition, the OPD release states. Police said the man is expected to survive.

Schmaderer, who was at the scene Monday night according to the OPD news release, said that authorities are still piecing together why the driver went through the barricades. The chief did say that terrorism is unlikely and that it didn’t appear the driver was intentionally trying to run anyone over.

Blandford has since been placed on paid administrative leave as the investigation continues. Nebraska State Patrol and the Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office are assisting with that investigation.

Watch Tuesday’s full news conference

The Omaha Police Department has seen three total officer-involved shootings so far this year. The first incident happened in late August when a man was shot by police after he answered his door with a shotgun aimed toward officers.

—

Digital Director Gina Dvorak contributed to this report.

Copyright 2022 WOWT. All rights reserved.