Omaha man expected to survive being shot by police Tuesday, investigation underway

Wright suffered multiple gunshot wounds, and was being treated Wednesday at the Nebraska Medical Center. He is expected to survive, Omaha police said.

Wright was injured Tuesday night when multiple Omaha police gang unit detectives fired their guns at him after stopping the car he was driving near 61st and Jaynes Streets, Omaha Deputy Police Chief Tom Shaffer said.

The officers were investigating a report to 911 that a man had pointed a gun at someone at 21st and Pinkney Streets about 20 minutes earlier, police said. They stopped the car Wright was driving because it matched the detailed description, and partial license plate number, given by a witness to the earlier incident, said Lt. Neal Bonacci, an Omaha police spokesman. Wright got out of the car after the officers stopped it, police said.

Police have not said why officers shot Wright. The shooting is being investigated by the Omaha Police Department Officer Involved Investigations Team, with the assistance of the Nebraska State Patrol and Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.

Police said a gun was found on the ground near Wright. Asked whether Wright had pointed or fired a gun at the officers, Bonacci said that is still under investigation.

Officers’ body-worn cameras captured video of “various aspects of the incident,” according to police. Bonacci said police are still connecting the dots about what happened after Wright got out of the car. He said more will be known after interviews of the officers are completed.

The officers “provided life-saving measures” to Wright until Omaha Fire Department personnel arrived, according to a statement from the Omaha Police Department’s public information office Wednesday.

The officers arrested a passenger from Wright’s vehicle, whom police identified Wednesday as Alandus Warren, 45. Warren was booked on suspicion of possessing cocaine and marijuana.

The involved officers have been placed on paid administrative leave. Police have not yet released their names.

Nebraska law requires that a grand jury investigate whenever a person dies while being arrested or while in custody.