The incident started when the suspect tried to steal a package of T-shirts.
A police officer was shot in the face and in the top of the head after answering a burglary call in a department store.
The incident occurred on Friday, March 12, at approximately 3:27 pm at the JC Penney department store in Omaha, Nebraska, when police officer Jeffrey Wittstruck was sent a report of a thief who had been detained by security after allegedly observing him. him taking a pack of the T-shirts and putting them in the backpack before trying to leave the establishment without paying for them, according to the Omaha Police Department.
Authorities say the suspect, later confirmed as Kenya Lamont Jenkins Jr., 21, initially gave the store’s security a false name and did not speak out or cooperate after being arrested.
The situation quickly worsened after Officer Wittstruck, who has been with the Omaha Police Department since September 2016, arrived on the scene.
“Officer Wittstruck instructed Jenkins to remove his backpack, at which point Jenkins stood up and put his right hand in his sweatshirt pocket,” said Police Chief Todd Schmaderer of the Omaha Police Department in a statement. “Officer Wittstruck asked Jenkins to show his hands several times, but Jenkins refused. Officer Wittstruck informed Jenkins that he was under arrest and Jenkins did not cooperate, pushing Officer Wittstruck away while he tried to handcuff Jenkins. “
According to the Omaha Police Department, Wittstruck and Jenkins had a brief fight before Wittstruck took off his taser and Jenkins put his hand back in his sweatshirt pocket.
The officer then implanted the taser, but it was ineffective to stop the situation with Jenkins.
Wittstruck tried to arrest Jenkins for the second time in a brief fight when the suspect pulled a gun out of his sweatshirt pocket and shot four times at Wittstruck, who was hit in the face and on the top of the head.
Officer Wittstruck’s gun was not removed from the holster and was never fired at any point during the fight with Jenkins.
“Officer Wittstruck fell to the floor and Jenkins ran out of the office,” said Schmaderer. “There were no security cameras in the office, but the camera on Officer Wittstruck’s body recorded the entire incident. Security cameras recorded the suspect fleeing the store and driving in a white BMW. “
Subsequently, Officer Joseph Kunza arrived at the scene and, along with JC Penney officials, assisted Wittstruck before he was transported to the 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 escaped from the crime scene.
“At 5:22 pm, a Nebraska state patrol officer discovered the suspicious vehicle that was passing by [a] gas station, a traffic stop was initiated and the vehicle ran away at high speed, ”the authorities said in their statement. “The suspicious vehicle reached speeds in excess of 140 mph and continued to drive west on I-80 recklessly.”
Authorities were able to implant blocking rods into the suspect’s vehicle, causing him to eventually be trapped on some railroad tracks before the Omaha Police Department could take Jenkins into custody, as well as locate the Taurus .380 weapon that was allegedly used in the shooting.
The Omaha Police Department said Jenkins has a “previous history of resistance to arrest and escape.”
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 is recovering from gunshot wounds sustained in the strife.
Police chief Schmaderer said: “Our prayers are with Officer Wittstruck and his family for a complete recovery. On behalf of all Omaha police, thank you for showing your support and concern. Omaha police respond to 911 calls repeatedly during the day to keep Omaha safe. It is important to remember the dangers that the police pose on each call; calls that must be answered because someone is in need. ”