Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer is asking for the public's help finding the suspects involved in Saturday night's shooting of seven people at 11th and Farnam, including 20 year old Jasmine Harris, who was killed.
Schmaderer says Harris and the other victims were innocent bystanders caught between two rival gangs that opened fire around 11:45 p.m. "They will continue because their own mortality is not something they are thinking of. They are definitely not thinking of everybody else's mortality," Schmaderer said. He says there was at least one gunman in each group.
The shooting is part of recent surge in gun violence. 21 shootings were reported in the month of May. Schmaderer says the incident began as an fight involving 20 juveniles nearby. Gang Unit officers and uniform officers used pepper balls to break up the fight. Not far from the brawl, police said the gang members began firing. Harris was shot in the back and died at the hospital. The other six victims will recover.
Schmaderer said he learned what an amazing young person Harris was during a personal phone call with her family. "I promised the family that I would stay up on top of this case personally," Schmaderer says.
Investigators have developed several persons of interest related to this and other cases. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Omaha Police Homicide Unit at 444-5656 or Crime Stoppers at 444-STOP. Tips leading to an arrest in a homicide case are eligible for up to a $25,000 reward.
Schmaderer says extra officers will be assigned to the downtown area during the College World Series and says more officers will be added to the gang unit.