Omaha QuikTrip shootout: 4 officers injured; suspect ID’d as Salvadoran national in U.S. illegally
Authorities say Juan Melgar-Ayala, 28, a Salvadoran national in the U.S. illegally and a convicted felon, opened fire at a QuikTrip in Omaha, wounding four police officers after firing at least 16 rounds (15 shell casings were recovered), and a bystander fled a gas-station bathroom moments before the shooting. Police say Melgar-Ayala is also linked to an earlier, seemingly random shooting at Phil’s Foodway that seriously wounded 61-year-old Michael Kasper; investigators are probing how he obtained the handgun amid family reports of mental-health issues, and Gov. Jim Pillen praised officers while noting the suspect’s immigration and felony status.
📌 Key Facts
- Suspect identified as Juan Melgar-Ayala, 28, a Salvadoran national in the U.S. illegally and a convicted felon.
- Omaha Police Department says four officers were injured in the QuikTrip shootout (an update from earlier reports of three); OPD named the injured officers and described their wounds.
- Investigators say the suspect fired at least 16 rounds at the QuikTrip; officers recovered 15 shell casings at the grocery scene.
- Police are investigating how the suspect obtained the handgun; the suspect's family reported he had mental health issues.
- Officials detailed an earlier, seemingly random shooting at Phil’s Foodway that seriously wounded 61-year-old Michael Kasper.
- Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen issued a statement praising the officers and noted the suspect’s immigration status and felony record.
📰 Sources (2)
Police say criminal illegal alien injured 4 officers in Nebraska gas station shootout
New information:
- Suspect identified as Juan Melgar-Ayala, 28, a Salvadoran national in the U.S. illegally and a convicted felon.
- Police now say four officers were injured (previous reports noted three); OPD named the injured officers and described their wounds.
- Officials detailed an earlier, seemingly random shooting at Phil’s Foodway that seriously wounded 61-year-old Michael Kasper.
- Investigators say the suspect fired at least 16 rounds at the QuikTrip; 15 shell casings were recovered at the grocery scene.
- OPD says it is investigating how the suspect obtained the handgun; family reported mental health issues.
- Gov. Jim Pillen issued a statement praising officers and noting the suspect’s immigration and felony status.