Content Warning: This article contains descriptions of violence involving a minor
Police in Omaha are looking into a deadly officer-involved shooting Tuesday morning outside a Walmart near 72nd Street.
The incident left a 31-year-old woman dead and a young child injured. Officers responded shortly after 9:13 a.m. following a dropped 911 call, and another report described a woman carrying a large kitchen knife alongside a child.
When two officers from the Uniform Patrol Bureau arrived, they found a woman—later identified as Noemi Guzman—near the south parking lot entrance with a 3-year-old boy sitting in a shopping cart.
According to police, Guzman was holding a knife, making threats, and refused multiple commands to drop the weapon. She then injured the child, prompting both officers to discharge their firearms and strike her.
Bystanders and the child’s guardian quickly removed the boy from the cart and rendered aid. Despite life-saving efforts by officers, Guzman died at the scene.
The child was transported to Children’s Hospital and is expected to recover from non-life-threatening injuries.
Investigators later examined store surveillance footage, which showed that Guzman had taken the knife from inside the Walmart before approaching the child and their guardian.
According to police, she forced the guardian to walk ahead of the cart and led them through the store and into the parking lot just moments before officers arrived.
Police Chief Todd Schmaderer said the responding officers acted professionally and took swift, decisive action to intervene and save a child’s life. Mayor John W. Ewing Jr. also commended the officers for their quick response and transparency.
The Officer-Involved Investigations Team is handling the investigation, with support from the Nebraska State Patrol as well as the Douglas and Sarpy County Sheriff’s Offices.
Authorities say portions of the incident were recorded on body-worn cameras and surveillance footage.
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