Female slashes face of 3-year-old boy she kidnapped at Walmart — and officers open fire: Police
A female slashed the face of a 3-year-old boy she kidnapped at a Walmart in Omaha, Nebraska, on Tuesday morning — and officers opened fire on her, police said.
Officers responded to the Walmart in the 1600 block of South 72nd Street after receiving 911 calls — one caller indicated a woman was armed with a “large kitchen knife” and was with a young child, police said.
'The responding officers acted with professionalism and direct action to intervene and save a child’s life.'
A two-officer patrol unit arrived at the location where officers approached the armed woman — later identified as 31-year-old Noemi Guzman — who was standing by a shopping cart with a 3-year-old boy in the cart, police said.
Guzman was making multiple threats with the knife, police said, and officers gave multiple verbal commands for Guzman to drop the knife.
Police said she refused to drop the weapon and cut the boy.
With that, the patrol officers fired their service weapons striking Guzman.
The child’s guardian, along with a bystander, immediately removed the child from the cart and rendered aid to him, police said.
Officers began lifesaving measures on Guzman, but police said she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Omaha Fire Department medics took the boy to Children’s Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
The child's parents identified the boy as Cyler Hillman, KETV-TV reported. Deputy Police Chief Scott Gray added to the station that Cyler suffered a cut on the left side of his face and on his hand.
Investigators later determined through store surveillance video that Guzman had shoplifted the knife from inside the store, police said. She then approached the child and guardian in a shopping aisle, brandished the knife, and forced the guardian to walk ahead of the cart while the child remained inside, police said.
Gray told KETV that Guzman kidnapped the child.
Guzman then directed them through the store and into the parking lot, and soon officers intervened, police said.
“The responding officers acted with professionalism and direct action to intervene and save a child’s life,” Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer said.
Police told KETV that Guzman and the child's caretaker did not know each other.
The investigation remains ongoing, police said.
Various aspects of this incident were captured on officers’ body-worn cameras and other available surveillance, police said.
The involved officers have been placed on paid critical incident leave, per department policy, police said, adding that they will be interviewed at a later date.
Police said they're asking witnesses who may have observed or recorded Guzman's actions during the incident to contact the department at 402-444-4877 and reference report number AA31063.
Police said Guzman in 2024 was accused of dousing her father with a flammable liquid and stabbing him — and then breaking into St. Francis Cabrini Church in Omaha and destroying property in the rectory.
According to a separate KETV story, Guzman was later found not responsible by reason of insanity.
The above KETV news video indicates that a judge ordered Guzman to undergo evaluation but in an outpatient capacity. A month later, a court ruling indicated Guzman was suffering from mental illness, including schizophrenia, the station said.
The court ruling stated that Guzman "remains a danger to herself or others, and should remain under the jurisdiction of the court" and that she can "continue to reside in the community with family support unless otherwise recommended by her community treatment team," KETV said in the video. A one-year review was scheduled to take place less than a month prior to Tuesday's incident, the station said.
Douglas County Sheriff Aaron Hanson told KETV in 2024 that the state lacks the infrastructure to help patients like Guzman.
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