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Police: man killed in officer-involved shooting had two guns, used child as human shield

Katie Schubert
/
KIOS-FM

An officer-involved shooting in north Omaha Tuesday morning began with a domestic violence 911 call.

31-year-old Tyree Bell died after he was shot multiple times by four Omaha Police officers. Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer addressed the shooting at a news conference Wednesday.

He says when officers arrived, Bell’s girlfriend ran from the home. Bell allegedly stepped on to the porch of the home with a shotgun. Schmaderer says Bell made verbal threats and suicidal comments, and police negotiators began speaking with him.

Schmaderer says about two hours later, the situation began to deteriorate. "For the next 20 minutes, Mr. Bell became increasingly agitated. He appeared on the front porch of the house multiple times. When he came out of the house he was armed with a shotgun, holding his three year old son as a human shield in front of him. On multiple occasions, while holding his son in front of him, he leveled the shotgun directly at the officers. The officers, fearing for the safety of the child, could not respond in defense of themselves."

Schmaderer says just before the shooting, Bell took his son back in the house, and came back outside with the shotgun and a pellet gun. Bell allegedly pointed both weapons at the officers, who then fired their weapons.

Bell was taken to Alegent Creighton Hospital where he died a short time later. Documents provided by OPD show Bell had a lengthy criminal history that included jail time for weapons possession, terroristic threats, assault, and battery.

The OPD members who fired their weapons are Officers Alan Peatrowsky, Carl Hanson, Douglas Arrick, and Chithauta Hester. They’re on paid administrative leave while the shooting is investigated.

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