OMAHA, NEBRASKA — A chaotic scene at an Omaha Walmart ended in gunfire Tuesday morning, April 14, 2026 after police fatally shot a woman who had abducted a young child at knifepoint and begun to physically assault the toddler in front of responding officers.

The incident began around 9:20 a.m. local time at the Walmart Supercenter located on South 72nd Street. According to Omaha Police Deputy Chief Scott Gray, the suspect—identified as 31-year-old Noemi Guzman—approached a female shopper and a 3-year-old boy inside the store.

Investigators determined that Guzman had shoplifted a large kitchen knife from the store shelves just moments before brandishing the weapon and taking "possession" of the child. She reportedly forced the boy's guardian to walk in front of a shopping cart as they exited the building together.

The group proceeded to a driveway outside the store, where the two women were involved in a verbal dispute for several minutes. When Omaha police arrived and issued commands for Guzman to drop the weapon, she reportedly ignored them and began "swiping" the knife at the child.

Body-worn camera footage released by the department shows the suspect raising the knife over the toddler while he sat in the shopping cart. Fearing for the child's life, at least one officer fired their weapon, striking and killing Guzman at the scene.

The 3-year-old boy was rushed to a local hospital with "rather large" lacerations to his face and one of his hands. Despite the severity of the wounds, medical officials expect him to survive.

"The officers' actions were a direct response to an immediate threat to a child's life," Deputy Chief Gray stated during a press briefing. "It was a casual walk out of the store that turned into a life-or-death situation in seconds."

The Omaha Police Department, in conjunction with the Nebraska State Patrol and the Sarpy County Sheriff's Office, is currently investigating the shooting. Police have confirmed that Guzman and the victims were strangers, and the motive for the kidnapping remains unclear.