Current:Home > StocksProsecutor says Omaha officer was justified in fatally shooting fleeing man -ValueMetric
Prosecutor says Omaha officer was justified in fatally shooting fleeing man
View
Date:2025-04-13 15:28:29
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A prosecutor has decided not to file charges against an Omaha police officer who fatally shot an armed Nebraska man eight times while he was fleeing.
Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine said Monday that Officer Noah Zendejas’ “actions were justified in the shooting of Steven Phipps.”
Police showed video and still photos of what happened last week during a briefing. After Phipps was pulled over for having expired plates on Sept. 28, he ran away and scaled a chain link fence. As he fell head-first from the fence, body camera video showed Phipps holding a gun in his right hand.
“The actions of Mr. Phipps in producing a firearm at a traffic stop, not complying with officers’ commands, and Mr. Phipps’ gun barrel being pointed towards the officers during the incident justified the officers decision to use deadly force,” Kleine said in his two-paragraph statement.
The decision will disappoint community members who have been calling for accountability after Phipps’ death and another recent fatal police shooting. The families of Phipps and the other man killed by police, Cameron Ford, both attended a community meeting Sunday night to share their concerns about the shootings.
“It’s devastating, but it’s not surprising,” Steven Phipps’ aunt, Angela Phipps, said after learning about Kleine’s decision.
Two of Angela Phipps’ cousins were arrested after they left Sunday’s community meeting. Police didn’t immediately respond to questions about why those two young men were arrested.
Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer acknowledged last week that it was “entirely possible” that Phipps’ gun was accidentally pointed at officers because he was falling. But he questioned why Phipps still had possession of the gun and had not thrown it to the side.
Schmaderer said Zendejas also told investigators he was concerned about the risk to a public transit stop nearby. Schmaderer said the officers followed department policy
Last month, Schmaderer fired another officer who fatally shot Ford, who wasn’t armed 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 a search warrant during a drug and firearms investigation Aug. 28 when he fired the single shot that killed 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.
“Cameron or Steven, they weren’t the first and they definitely won’t be the last, especially at this rate where no officers are being held accountable,” Angela Phipps said.
veryGood! (962)
Related
- Tropical weather brings record rainfall. Experts share how to stay safe in floods.
- Illinois Gov. Pritzker takes his fight for abortion access national with a new self-funded group
- Wisconsin officers fatally shoot person on school roof in exchange of gunfire, state police say
- 10 NBA players under pressure to perform in 2023-24 include Joel Embiid, Damian Lillard
- 'No Good Deed': Who's the killer in the Netflix comedy? And will there be a Season 2?
- Jana Kramer Shares the Awful Split that Led to Suicidal Ideation and More Relationship Drama in New Book
- Night sweats can be as unsettling as they are inconvenient. Here's what causes them.
- Bobby Charlton, Manchester United legend, dies at 86
- Blake Lively’s Inner Circle Shares Rare Insight on Her Life as a Mom to 4 Kids
- JetBlue plane tips backward due to shift in weight as passengers get off at JFK Airport
Ranking
- Megan Fox's ex Brian Austin Green tells Machine Gun Kelly to 'grow up'
- Hungary in the spotlight after Turkey presses on with Sweden’s bid to join NATO
- Biden is 'persona non grata' for many Arab and Muslim Americans
- Lebanon’s prime minister visits troops at the country’s tense southern border with Israel
- British golfer Charley Hull blames injury, not lack of cigarettes, for poor Olympic start
- How safe are cockpits? Aviation experts weigh in after security scare
- Anchor of Chinese container vessel caused damage to Balticconnector gas pipeline, Finnish police say
- Spain’s acting government to push for a 37½-hour workweek. That’s if it can remain in power
Recommendation
What were Tom Selleck's juicy final 'Blue Bloods' words in Reagan family
Miners from a rival union hold hundreds of colleagues underground at a gold mine in South Africa
New York selects 3 offshore wind projects as it transitions to renewable energy
Candidate for Pennsylvania appeals court in November election struck by car while placing yard signs
Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving time
Stranded at a closed border as bombs fall, foreign nationals in besieged Gaza await evacuation
South Carolina prosecutors want legislators who are lawyers off a judicial screening committee
NFL power rankings Week 8: How far do 49ers, Lions fall after latest stumbles?