Nebraska police fatally shot a woman who slashed a toddler after leading the child out of a Walmart at knifepoint in an alleged kidnapping, according to cops and body-worn camera images.
Cops responded to a Walmart in Omaha just after 9:10 a.m. for reports of a woman armed with a “large kitchen knife” who had a young child, according to the Omaha Police Department.
Surveillance footage caught the woman, later identified as 31-year-old Noemi Guzman, shoplifting the knife from the store and approaching a 3-year-old boy and his guardian in an aisle, police said.
Guzman was seen brandishing the knife and forcing the female shopper to walk ahead of the cart as the child remained inside it. She then terrifyingly led them through the store and into the parking lot, cops added.
The knife-wielding woman “took possession of the child, essentially kidnapping the child,” Deputy Chief Scott Gray said at a press conference.
A two-officer patrol unit arrived and discovered Guzman in the parking lot, standing by the shopping cart with the young child inside.
Guzman continued to make threats with the knife and — after ignoring several pleas from officers to drop the weapon — slashed the boy, authorities said.
Harrowing images from body camera footage captured Guzman, who had dyed red hair, a purple tank top, and plaid pants, holding the large knife up near the boy’s face as a cop drew their gun.
The two officers fired their weapons and struck Guzman, as the toddler’s guardian and a bystander immediately removed him from the cart and provided medical aid.
Life-saving measures were given to Guzman, but she died at the scene, police said.
The child was being treated at a hospital for a large laceration across the left side of his face and on his hand. He is expected to survive.
“The responding officers acted with professionalism and direct action to intervene and save a child’s life,” Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer said in a statement.
“The community can be reassured in knowing that Omaha police officers stand ready to act with courage and decisiveness in the most serious situations to protect the public,” Schmaderer said.
The Omaha Police Department Officer-Involved Investigations Team will investigate the incident alongside the Nebraska State Patrol, Douglas, and Sarpy County Sheriff’s Offices.
“The Omaha Police Department offers its sincere condolences to the family and friends of Ms. Guzman during this difficult time,” the department said in a statement.
With Post wires
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