Current:Home > StocksOmaha officer followed policy when he fatally shot fleeing man 8 times, police chief says-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Omaha officer followed policy when he fatally shot fleeing man 8 times, police chief says
View Date:2024-12-23 16:25:55
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Omaha’s police chief said Wednesday that an officer followed protocol when he shot a fleeing, armed Nebraska man eight times this weekend, killing him.
Steven Phipps, 22, is the second Black man killed by an Omaha officer in the past two months.
Omaha police Chief Todd Schmaderer told reporters police pulled Phipps over for expired plates during a traffic stop Saturday when he ran away. Two officers chased him. Schmaderer said Phipps had a gun, which he legally owned, as he scaled a fence.
The firearm was pointed at Officer Noah Zendejas as Phipps fell from the fence, police said. Zendejas, who has worked for Omaha police for three years, then shot Phipps.
Schmaderer said Zendejas first spotted a heavy weight in Phipps’ hoodie as he ran.
Asked by reporters Wednesday whether Phipps’ gun was accidentally pointed at officers because he was falling, Schmaderer said that is “entirely possible.” But he questioned why Phipps still had possession of the gun and had not thrown it to the side. Schmaderer said Zendejas was also concerned about the risk to a public transit stop nearby.
“We really don’t know what Mr. Phipps’ intent was,” Schmaderer said. “But when that gun started to be pointed to him and he had it in his hand, that officer’s authorized at that point to defend himself.”
Zendejas has not previously been disciplined for violating use-of-force policies, spokesperson Lt. Neal Bonacci said.
Police said an autopsy shows Phipps was not shot in the back. A copy of the autopsy was not immediately provided to reporters.
Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine will review the investigation and decide whether to file charges, and the shooting will later be reviewed by a grand jury under Nebraska law. Kleine’s office did not immediately say when he will announce his decision on any charges.
“I’m so broken that I don’t know what to say. It was just wrong. It was wrong,” Steven Phipps’ aunt, Gail Phipps, said.
Schmaderer last month fired another officer who fatally shot an unarmed man while serving a no-knock warrant, a policy that has since been suspended in the city.
Omaha Police Officer Adam Vail was part of a SWAT team serving the search warrant during a drug and firearms investigation Aug. 28 when he fired the single shot that killed 37-year-old Cameron Ford, prosecutors said. Vail said Ford, who was Black, charged at him without his hands visible.
Kleine declined to charge the officer. But Schmaderer said an internal investigation found Vail violated department procedures.
___
Ballentine reported from Jefferson City, Missouri.
veryGood! (9142)
Related
- A list of mass killings in the United States this year
- Bryan Adams says Taylor Swift inspired him to rerecord: 'You realize you’re worth more'
- Jalen Milroe's Iron Bowl miracle against Auburn shows God is an Alabama fan
- Greek police arrest 6 alleged migrant traffickers and are looking for 7 others from the same gang
- A list of mass killings in the United States this year
- The body of an abducted anti-mining activist is found in western Mexico
- Where to watch 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer': TV channel, showtimes, streaming info
- Suzanne Shepherd, Sopranos and Goodfellas actress, dies at 89
- New wildfires burn in US Northeast while bigger blazes rage out West
- 1.3 million chickens to be culled after bird flu detected at Ohio farm
Ranking
- Brian Austin Green’s Fiancée Sharna Burgess Celebrates Megan Fox’s Pregnancy News
- China says a surge in respiratory illnesses is caused by flu and other known pathogens
- Russia puts spokesman for tech giant and Facebook owner Meta on wanted list
- 24 hostages released as temporary cease-fire in Israel-Hamas war takes effect
- Oil Industry Asks Trump to Repeal Major Climate Policies
- Sierra Leone declares nationwide curfew after gunmen attack military barracks in the capital
- 2 deaths, 28 hospitalizations linked to salmonella-tainted cantaloupes as recalls take effect
- Congolese Nobel laureate kicks off presidential campaign with a promise to end violence, corruption
Recommendation
-
NFL power rankings Week 11: Steelers, Eagles enjoying stealthy rises
-
Teenage murder suspect escapes jail for the second time in November
-
With antisemitism rising as the Israel-Hamas war rages, Europe’s Jews worry
-
Archaeologists discover mummies of children that may be at least 1,000 years old – and their skulls still had hair on them
-
Surprise bids revive hope for offshore wind in Gulf of Mexico after feds cancel lease sale
-
Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury in mask issue shows he's better than NHL leadership
-
Geert Wilders, a far-right anti-Islam populist, wins big in Netherlands elections
-
Max Verstappen caps of historic season with win at Abu Dhabi F1 finale