Witness at north Omaha grocery store says she helped severely injured shooting victim call his wife
An anonymous witness told KETV NewsWatch 7 that her brief encounter with a gunman helped police identify and confront the man who then went on to shoot multiple officers.The officers shot Wednesday near 32nd and L are recovering Thursday night. The gunman has been identified as 28-year-old Juan Melgar-Ayala. Officers shot and killed him inside the QuikTrip.READ MORE: Witness describes 'chaotic' scene inside gas station during shooting that injured Omaha police officersThe witness said she was in her car at the Phil's Cash Saver when she heard five gunshots, then five more.After hearing shots, a witness who does not want to be identified said she saw a man in a ski mask drive away quickly."He got his keys and started the car. And as he was taking off, he seen me looking at him cause we had eye contact, and I started ducking. I felt in my gut that he had to be the gunman," she said. "It was too many shots. So I knew in my heart somebody had been shot."She said she found the victim, identified as 61-year-old Michael Kasper, struck several times. He asked that witness to call his wife. And she did.The search for the suspect led officers to the QuikTrip — across the street is Donahue's Pub. Pub owner Mike Donahue was in his apartment above the pub when he heard a loud noise. He didn't think much of it at first."When you live right on L Street, it's not that unusual to hear noise," Donahue said.ADDITIONAL COVERAGE: Omaha police identify suspect, four officers injured in shooting at QuikTripDonahue looked out the window when he heard the sirens."Just saw the chaos that was ensuing," Donahue said.His security camera captured what appears to be officers sprinting out of a car with guns drawn.The pub owner then saw an injured officer being carried out in an upright position.Watch: Broadcastify audio provides more insight into shooting that injured 3 officers"The amount of cars that rolled in was impressive. And they all seemed to know what they were doing. Everybody looked like they had a place to go, and they knew that's where they were supposed to be. A certain number of them went straight in, and other ones kind of took control of the outside," Donahue said.The witness at Phil's Cash Saver said she and others described what they saw to police."It's just sad all the way around. And that's why I say I'm not a hero. God just had me in the right place at the right time to come comfort that man as he was getting ready to die or not, and make sure that the word got to his wife like he wanted," she said.The witness of the shooting said she got the victim's phone for him, who then dialed his wife.Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google search.NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |
