OMAHA, NE – A confrontation in the early hours of Saturday led to two off-duty police officers in Omaha, Nebraska fatally shooting two men. The identities of the victims, who were in an SUV at the time of the incident, have been confirmed as 26-year-old Fernando Rodriguez-Juarez and 28-year-old Jonathan Hernandez-Rosales. Following the shooting, both men were transported to a local hospital where they succumbed to life-threatening injuries.
The incident occurred around 2 a.m. while the officers were working at a local business. The specifics of the confrontation are still under investigation and the officers involved have not been publicly identified. It remains unclear whether the officers identified themselves as police or if they were in their uniforms at the time of the incident.
Authorities have disclosed that a handgun was found in the vehicle, but it has not been confirmed whether the presence of the firearm was illegal or if it was a factor that led to the shooting.
The two officers involved in the shooting have been placed on paid leave as the investigation continues. One of the officers was equipped with a body camera during the incident, and footage from this device, along with security video from local businesses, is being reviewed as part of the investigation.
The Omaha Police Department’s officer-involved investigations team, the Nebraska State Patrol, and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office are all participating in the ongoing investigation. Requests for additional information regarding the incident sent to the police department on Sunday have yet to be answered.