The incident began when the suspect tried to steal a pack of t-shirts.
A police officer was shot in the face and on top of his head after responding to a shoplifting call at a department store.
The incident took place on Friday, March 12, at about 3:27 p.m., in a JC Penney’s store in Omaha, Nebraska, when officer Jeffrey Wittstruck was sent to report a shoplifter detained by security after they allegedly saw how he a according to the Omaha police station the package t-shirts and puts it in his backpack before trying to leave the institution without paying for it.
Authorities say the suspect, who was later identified as 21-year-old Kenya Lamont Jenkins Jr. confirmed, initially gave a false name for the security of the store and did not expect or cooperate.
The situation escalated rapidly after Officer Wittstruck, who has been at the Omaha Police Department since September 2016, arrived on the scene.
“Officer Wittstruck ordered Jenkins to remove his backpack at what time Jenkins got up and put his right hand in his sweatshirt bag,” Todd Schmaderer, Omaha police chief of police, said in a statement. Officer Wittstruck asked Jenkins several times to show his hands, but Jenkins refused. Officer Wittstruck informed Jenkins that he had been arrested and that Jenkins was not cooperating, and Officer Wittstruck pushed away while attempting to place handcuffs on Jenkins. ”
According to the Omaha Police Department, Wittstruck and Jenkins got into a brief fight before Wittstruck pulled his taser and Jenkins put his hand back in his sweatshirt pocket.
The police officer then deployed the taser, but it was ineffective to stop the situation with Jenkins.
Wittstruck tried to arrest Jenkins for the second time in a short fight when the suspect pulled a gun out of his sweatshirt bag and fired four shots at Wittstruck, which was hit in his face and on top of his head.
Officer Wittstruck’s firearm was not removed from his holster and was not shot at any point in the altercation with Jenkins.
“Officer Wittstruck fell to the ground and Jenkins ran out of the office,” Schmaderer said. “There were no security cameras in the office, but Officer Wittstruck’s camera recorded the entire incident. Security cameras recorded the suspect fleeing the store and driving away in a white BMW. ”
Officer Joseph Kunza then arrived on the scene and, along with employees of JC Penney, assisted Wittstruck before being transported to Nebraska Medical Center in critical condition.
According to Schmaderer, with the help of the Nebraska State Patrol, a perimeter was placed around the area to search for Jenkins after he fled the crime scene.
‘At 17:22 a Nebraska State Patrol Trooper discovers the suspicious vehicle being driven nearby [a] filling station, a traffic stop was started and the vehicle fled quickly, ”the authorities said in their statement. “The suspect vehicle reached speeds of more than 140 km / h and drove recklessly west on the I-80.”
Authorities were able to successfully use stoppers on the suspect’s vehicle, which eventually got stuck on some train tracks before Omaha police could arrest Jenkins and locate the Taurus .380 firearm allegedly used in the shooting. .
The Omaha Police Department said Jenkins has a ‘past history of resisting arrests and escapes’.
The suspect will be charged with attempted murder and use of a weapon to commit a crime.
Officer Wittstruck is now in a stable condition and recovering from the gunshot wounds sustained during the altercation.
Chief of Police Schmaderer said: “Our prayers are with Officer Wittstruck and his family for a complete recovery. On behalf of all Omaha Police Officers, Thank you for your support and concern. Omaha Police Officers Answer 911 calls each time throughout It is important to remember the dangers that officers place in every call; calls that must be answered because someone was in need. “