One dead, one in custody after shooting at North Omaha apartment building

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - One person is dead and another is in custody after a shooting in a North Omaha apartment building Sunday evening.

Police are investigating the incident that took place at about 6 p.m. Sunday in an apartment building near Florence Boulevard and Browne Street.

Police say three separate callers said they heard shots fired on the fifth ore sixth floor of the complex.

Officers arrived at the scene at around 6:15 p.m. and began sweeping the building from the fifth floor via the stairs.

As the officers made it up to the sixth floor, they were met by the suspect, identified as 50-year-old Billy Dorrall, coming through the door they were about to enter.

As Dorrall came through the door, an officer shot and struck Dorrall in the left hip. Dorrall fired shots down the stairwell and went back into the sixth floor hallway.

Once on the sixth floor, Dorrall fired rounds up and down the hallway, and threatened several residents at gunpoint.

Just as an arrest team with a ballistic shield was about to enter the hallway, they heard more shots fired down the hall.

The team eventually entered the hall, made verbal commands, and eventually arrested Dorrall without incident.

After he was detained, Dorrall was taken to Nebraska Medicine with non-life threatening injuries, and later released into police custody.

In footage shared with the police by the Omaha Housing Authority, Dorrall was depicted in an agitated state as he interacted with residents before entering into a verbal altercation with 45-year-old Eric Bechtolt.

Video then showed Dorrall going to his apartment to retrieve a gun, and then shooting Bechtolt multiple times in the hallway.

Bechtolt was found dead at the scene in the stairwell by the responding officers.

First Alert 6 spoke to the father of the victim.

“I don’t know why this happened,” Craig Bechtolt, father, said. “But, it happened.”

In an interview with detectives, Dorrall confessed to his crimes, admitting to killing Bechtolt and intending to kill more residents and responding police officers had he not been stopped.

“I want to commend the officers who responded to this incredibly dangerous situation. Their training, courage, and swift response undoubtedly prevented further loss of life,” said Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer.

“What unfolded at Florence Tower was tragic, and our thoughts and condolences are with the family and loved ones of Mr. Bechtolt. Our officers acted heroically under extreme pressure, and I am proud of their commitment to protecting the residents of Omaha.”

Police say an officer was injured in the incident, but it is unclear whether the injury sustained was a result of gunfire.

The investigation is ongoing, but police tell First Alert 6 people are allowed in and out of the apartment building.

According to the report, officers’ body-worn cameras picked up parts of the incident. The officers involved have been placed on paid critical leave-- per OPD policy -- and they will soon be interviewed.

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This is a developing story. Stay with First Alert 6 for updates.

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