Neb. Police End Knife Threat After Woman Slashes, Holds Boy

A Nebraska police fatally shot a woman Tuesday who slashed a 3-year-old boy after holding him at knifepoint in a Walmart parking lot. 

The shooting happened just before 9:15 a.m. when Omaha police responded to a call concerning a woman with a "large kitchen knife" and a young child at a Walmart, the department stated in an online news release. When two officers reached the scene, they found a 31-year-old woman, later identified as Noemi Guzman, in the parking lot, standing by a shopping cart with a boy in it.

Guzman began making threats with the knife, and officers ordered her to surrender. She refused to comply and then slashed the boy.

That's when officers opened fire. Guzman was struck, and a bystander grabbed the boy out of the cart.

Guzman was pronounced dead at the scene. The boy was rushed to the hospital, and his injuries weren't considered life-threatening.

Security camera footage from before the shooting showed Guzman had shoplifted the knife from the store, according to police. Brandishing the knife, she forced the 3-year-old boy's guardian to walk to the parking lot. 

“The responding officers acted with professionalism and direct action to intervene and save a child’s life,” Chief Todd Schmaderer said in a statement. “The community can be reassured in knowing that Omaha police officers stand ready to act with courage and