Omaha's Police chief held a news conference Monday afternoon to shed more light on the details of the fatal officer-involved shooting of Kenneth Jones on Thursday, November 19th.
Saturday, OPD released the names of the officers involved in the traffic stop that escalated and led to Jones' death. The traffic stop has been a catalyst for protests at OPD headquarters in downtown Omaha over the weekend. Mayor Jean Stothert said during a news conference Friday that the officers — later identified as Dan Faulkner and Richard Martier, who have both been with the department since 2016 — were placed on administrative leave.
Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer said the time between the stop and the shooting was one minute and seven seconds. “Investigating officers spoke with other witnesses, not in the car, who reported hearing the commands for those in the car to show their hands."
Police do not believe the driver was under the influence, though how the driver was stopping and accelerating was what initially attracted their attention. A vial of PCP was found on Jones’ body while the toxicology report from his autopsy is not yet available.
Schmaderer urged any other witnesses of the event and anyone with video to contact OPD.
Screenshots from the body camera one of the officers was wearing was shown. However, the video itself was not released pending the decision of a grand jury whether to indict the officers involved. “We are talking about an incident that we all wish didn’t happen,” Schmaderer said. “I can’t control how some members of our community will receive this.”
Schmaderer said officers unholstered their weapons when they got out of their cruiser while approaching the car because they could see someone moving around and reaching in the car, he said. Both officers aimed their guns at Jones as they were alarmed while he was moving around and not showing his hands while others in the car did, he added. “When we have an incident occur, that’s why body cameras are so important for transparency,” Schmaderer explained. He said neither officer involved has any history with use-of-force complaints.
Schmaderer said during the course of the stop, Jones denied the officers' demands over twenty times. "The officers yelled 'Hands' or some variation of 'Show me your hands' fourteen times from the time they got out of their cruiser, to the time they removed Jones from the car. He was told to 'Open the door' six times. They received non-compliance on every occasion. While in the car, they also told him to, 'Stop reaching' three times, again receiving non-compliance."
Schmaderer said the interaction was one of the most non-compliant situations he has ever seen in his tenure as Chief of Police.
During the struggle with Jones outside of the car, one of the officers reached where Jones was reaching. "Officer Faulkner was on Jones' right side and traced his hand along Jones' right arm in an attempt to gain control of his hand, which was still in the waistband. Faulkner said once his hand met Jones' hand, Faulkner's hand was actually on the metal of a gun and at one point, both he and Jones had their finger in the trigger guard of the gun inside of Jones' baggy pants."
"Faulkner said he thought the gun was going to discharge. Faulkner said Jones started to turn his wrist in such a way, that he thought Jones was going to shoot him from in between the legs." At that point, Schmaderer said the officer backed away to create distance and yelled that Jones had a gun. "Officer Martier also disengaged from Jones and drew his gun when he heard Faulkner yell gun. Faulkner said as Jones was going away from him, towards the east sidewalk, he saw Jones raise his right elbow upward as he looked over his left shoulder and was turning his body towards Officer Martier." Schmaderer said Faulkner thought Jones was going to shoot Martier, so his discharged his firearm four times.
The chief says after Jones was down, the officers called out for him to raise his hands, but there was no response, so Officer Martier immediately went to check on Jones. "Faulkner yelled at Martier, 'Rich, he's got a gun.' Martier responded, 'I know. We've gotta render aid."
Schmaderer says when Officer Martier rolled Jones onto his back, a gun fell from Jones' right hand. Ha said the gun was not registered to Jones, and as a felon he would not be allowed to possess a firearm. Schmaderer says both officers started CPR on Jones until medic unit arrived. Jones was taken to the hospital with gunshot wounds to his lower back, his right shoulder blade and upper mid back. He died at the hospital.
Schmaderer said he did not know when a grand jury would be convened but said he hopes it is soon.