Post by Deleted on May 21, 2015 2:10:53 GMT
A Nebraska man opened fire Wednesday on officers who were trying to arrest him for a previous shooting, prompting police to return gunfire in a shootout that left one officer and the suspect dead, Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer said.
Officer Kerrie Orozco, 29, died at Creighton University Medical Center shortly after the 1 p.m. shooting, Schmaderer said at a news conference. Schmaderer said the suspect, 26-year-old Marcus Wheeler, also died at the hospital.
Schmaderer said Orozco was part of a fugitive task force looking for Wheeler to serve a felony arrest warrant. Wheeler, who was wanted on a warrant charging him in an earlier shooting, opened fire on the officers as they approached him. Officers fired back, and Wheeler was later found behind a neighbor's house suffering from gunshot wounds, the chief said.
A semi-automatic handgun was also found on Wheeler, Schmaderer said.
"Mr. Wheeler is a convicted felon and a known gang member," he said.
Orozco was a seven-year veteran of the department and worked in its gang unit, Schmaderer said. She was also a new mother with a premature baby who is in an Omaha hospital.
"(The baby) is set to be released from the hospital tomorrow," Schmaderer said, his voice breaking.
Orozco is the first female Omaha police officer to die in the line of duty, according to a list on the Officer Down Memorial online page.
Besides her daughter, Orozco is survived by her husband, Hector Orozco, two stepchildren ages 6 and 7, her mother and two siblings.
Kerrie Orozco coached baseball at an Omaha Boys and Girls Club, was a Special Olympics volunteer and served as president of the Police Officers' Ball to benefit the Special Olympics, the chief said. She also took in rescue dogs and was a Girl Scout mentor.
Officer Kerrie Orozco, 29, died at Creighton University Medical Center shortly after the 1 p.m. shooting, Schmaderer said at a news conference. Schmaderer said the suspect, 26-year-old Marcus Wheeler, also died at the hospital.
Schmaderer said Orozco was part of a fugitive task force looking for Wheeler to serve a felony arrest warrant. Wheeler, who was wanted on a warrant charging him in an earlier shooting, opened fire on the officers as they approached him. Officers fired back, and Wheeler was later found behind a neighbor's house suffering from gunshot wounds, the chief said.
A semi-automatic handgun was also found on Wheeler, Schmaderer said.
"Mr. Wheeler is a convicted felon and a known gang member," he said.
Orozco was a seven-year veteran of the department and worked in its gang unit, Schmaderer said. She was also a new mother with a premature baby who is in an Omaha hospital.
"(The baby) is set to be released from the hospital tomorrow," Schmaderer said, his voice breaking.
Orozco is the first female Omaha police officer to die in the line of duty, according to a list on the Officer Down Memorial online page.
Besides her daughter, Orozco is survived by her husband, Hector Orozco, two stepchildren ages 6 and 7, her mother and two siblings.
Kerrie Orozco coached baseball at an Omaha Boys and Girls Club, was a Special Olympics volunteer and served as president of the Police Officers' Ball to benefit the Special Olympics, the chief said. She also took in rescue dogs and was a Girl Scout mentor.
It just breaks my heart that her maternity leave was supposed to begin tomorrow when her preemie daughter came home from the hospital.
