(NewsNation) — A woman in Nebraska was shot and killed by police Tuesday after authorities said she had threatened a young child with a knife in a store parking lot.
The Omaha Police Department said officers responded just after 9:00 a.m. local time to a Walmart on an emergency call initially described as “nature unknown.” A second caller reported a woman armed with a large kitchen knife near a child.
When officers arrived, they said Noemi Guzman, 31, was holding a knife near a shopping cart with a 3-year-old boy inside.
Authorities said they repeatedly ordered Guzman to drop the weapon but that she refused and cut the child. Two officers then opened fire.
A bystander and the child’s guardian pulled the boy from the cart and began providing aid, police said, while officers attempted lifesaving measures on Guzman. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The child was taken to a nearby hospital with injuries described as non-life-threatening.
Investigators later said surveillance footage showed Guzman shoplifting the knife from inside the store. Police say she approached the child and his guardian in a store aisle, displayed the weapon, and forced the guardian to walk ahead while keeping the child in the cart. She then directed them out of the store and into the parking lot.
“The responding officers acted with professionalism and direct action to intervene and save a child’s life,” said police Chief Todd Schmaderer.
The officers involved in the incident were placed on paid critical incident leave, in line with department policy. The department’s Officer-Involved Investigations Team is leading the case, with assistance from the Nebraska State Patrol and local sheriff’s offices.
Police said the incident was captured on body cameras and surveillance systems and are asking anyone who witnessed or recorded what happened to contact the department at 402-444-4877 and reference Report Number: AA31063.
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