Omaha police have arrested a 14-year-old suspect following a shooting at Omaha Northwest High School that critically injured a teenage boy. The incident occurred during lunchtime on Tuesday, prompting a swift response from law enforcement and leaving the community shaken.
Shooting at Omaha Northwest High School
The shooting happened at 12:23 p.m. during lunch, according to Omaha Police Deputy Chief Sherie Thomas. A school resource officer quickly reported the incident, and officers from multiple departments arrived at the scene. The victim, a 15-year-old boy, was found inside the school and rushed to a hospital, where he remains in stable condition.
Thomas emphasized that the shooting appeared to be an isolated incident between two students. The 14-year-old suspect was apprehended three blocks away, roughly 30 minutes after the shooting.
Families Rushed to School in Panic
Parents and families hurried to Omaha Northwest High School, anxiously waiting for updates and embracing their children as they were released from the building. The first group of students was let out around 1 p.m., with the rest being reunited with their families over the next few hours.
Devon DeMott, a parent of one of the students, told the Omaha World-Herald that he raced to the school as soon as he received a text from his son about the shooting. “As fatherly instinct, I jumped in the car and headed up there,” DeMott said, relieved by the heavy police presence when he arrived.
Lockdown and Aftermath
In response to the shooting, two nearby Catholic schools—Marian and Roncalli high schools—went into lockdown. The lockdown was lifted shortly after police arrested the suspect. Omaha Public Schools canceled all Tuesday evening activities at Northwest High School, and classes were called off for Wednesday. Students are expected to return on Thursday.
