Police fatally shoot kidnapper who slashed toddler’s face in Walmart parking lot
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OMAHA, Nebraska — Omaha police are investigating a deadly officer-involved shooting that occurred Tuesday morning, leaving a 31-year-old woman dead and a young child injured outside a Walmart near 72nd Street.
According to the Omaha Police Department, officers responded to the store around 9:13 a.m. after a 911 caller requested help but stopped communicating. A second caller reported a woman armed with a “large kitchen knife” accompanied by a small child.
When two Uniform Patrol Bureau officers arrived, they found the woman, later identified as Noemi Guzman, standing near the south parking lot entrance with a 3-year-old boy in a shopping cart. Police say Guzman was making threats with the knife and ignored repeated commands to drop it. She then cut the child, prompting both officers to fire their weapons, striking her.
Bystanders and the child’s guardian quickly removed the boy from the cart and provided aid. Guzman died at the scene despite officers’ life-saving efforts. The boy was taken to Children’s Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Investigators later reviewed store surveillance footage that showed Guzman had stolen the knife from inside the Walmart before confronting the child and his guardian. Police say she forced the guardian ahead of the cart and directed them through the store and into the parking lot moments before officers arrived.
“The responding officers acted with professionalism and direct action to intervene and save a child’s life,” Police Chief Todd Schmaderer said. Mayor John W. Ewing Jr. also praised the officers’ quick response and transparency.
The Officer-Involved Investigations Team is leading the case with assistance from the Nebraska State Patrol and the Douglas and Sarpy County Sheriff’s Offices. Police say body-camera footage and surveillance video captured parts of the incident.
The officers involved have been placed on paid critical incident leave, per department policy. They will be interviewed at a later date, and police expect to release further updates in the coming days.
OPD extended condolences to Guzman’s family and urged anyone who witnessed or recorded the incident to contact investigators at 402-444-4877, referencing report number AA31063.