Handcuffed Man Fatally Shoots Self in the Back of Neb. Police Cruiser

Morrow said Oceguera was “frustrated” while being taken into custody but wasn’t being exceptionally difficult or resisting the officers.

“They were very kind and patient with him as they talked to him and tried to get him to understand why we were placing him into custody, so we didn’t have any concern at that point for anyone else in the neighborhood,” Morrow said.

While officers were interviewing witnesses, including a woman who had driven to the location and knew Oceguera, police said Oceguera was able to move his handcuffed hands to the front of his body, pull a firearm from his pants, and shoot himself at 8:45 p.m.

“When he made that decision, he made it a personal choice,” Morrow said.

The Lincoln Police Department’s policy says a person who is handcuffed should be supervised, except in special circumstances. Morrow said that one of the officers was standing close to the cruiser while completing interviews to determine if Oceguera should be placed in emergency protective custody.

Morrow also said that the officer had been in and out of the cruiser and interacting with Oceguera before the shooting and noted it was dark in the back seat. Morrow did not know how long it took him to maneuver his cuffs to the position to get the gun.

The second officer was by the house that Oceguera was allegedly trying to break into, speaking to the homeowners.

After Oceguera shot himself, Morrow said the officers on scene immediately removed him from the cruiser and started rendering aid. Lincoln Fire and Rescue crews arrived on scene and transported him to the hospital.

Oceguera died at 9:30 p.m., according to Morrow.

She would not specify on Wednesday what type of gun was used and where exactly the gun was located on Oceguera.

No officers were injured and the officer whose cruiser this occurred in was placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, as required by LPD policy.

Morrow said the second officer was not put on leave because when Oceguera fired the gun, the second officer wasn’t nearby.

The administrative leave will continue during the investigation with interviews and an autopsy, but also to give the officer “time to decompress.”

Morrow said the officers followed policy by searching the man when he was taken into custody and handcuffing Oceguera, but missed the gun. He was handcuffed behind his back with his palms out, and double locked, according to Morrow.

When handcuffs are double locked, they cannot be tightened without unlocking a second lock with a handcuff key. Morrow said this is policy for when a person in custody is placed in a cruiser so as they lean back, the handcuffs do not close further, which can cause discomfort or cut off circulation.

Oceguera was a brother, uncle and father to three, according to his obituary. Born in Tyler, Texas, he attended Lakeview High School and later earned his associate degree in information technology from Central Community College.

He had served time in prison on three separate occasions. Most recently, he served almost 10 months after driving a stolen vehicle with a revoked license and possession of meth in 2023. He was released this year on Jan. 17 into post-release supervision.

Police on Wednesday released numerous still images from body-cam and cruiser camera footage that show officers searching Oceguera and Oceguera in the back of the cruiser as he pulled the gun out of his pants.

But Morrow said police would not release video of the incident, citing the graphic nature of the video and the need to respect Oceguera’s family.

“It would be incredibly disrespectful to publicize his last moments,” Morrow said. “Quite simply, it’s unnecessary.”

On Sunday evening, Morrow said the co-responders with the Alternate Response Program who assist with mental health cases had ended their shift prior to the incident and were not available.

“We will continue to train our officers to be able to respond appropriately and connect individuals to resources, because that’s always going to be a responsibility that we will carry, regardless of having the co-responders with us,” Morrow said.

Morrow said that providing care and concern for those struggling is a community effort.

“This can’t just be on the shoulders of law enforcement to connect people to resources,” Morrow said.

“If there’s anyone out there that does not believe that that’s not weighing incredibly heavy on (officers), they are quite wrong,” Morrow added. “The administrative leave is to finalize the investigation and then to make sure that we have cared and supported for them, so when they come back to work, they’re ready to come back to work.”

Because it was not an officer-involved shooting or an incident that involved officers taking action of a use of force or a use of control, the Lincoln Police Department will continue investigating the incident, Morrow said. The chief said she hopes to have it finished in a couple of more days.

Morrow said she wasn’t going to discuss yet how the police department would look into the situation to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

“I’m going to spend a lot of time making sure that both officers involved are doing OK and that we care about their mental health,” Morrow said. “They followed policy. I can’t say that enough. They followed policy, and it was missed. Those things are unfortunately going to happen from time to time again at the end of the day. It is tragic again beyond measure, but he made a decision to move his hands in front of him and access the firearm that he had hidden on his body and take his own life.”

See the images that show lead-up to fatal shooting in back of Lincoln police cruiser

On Wednesday, Lincoln police released still images from body cams and cruiser cameras that show the lead-up to a man fatally shooting himself in the back of a cruiser.

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