OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) — A Douglas County Sheriff’s Office deputy was shot, and a suspect is dead following a domestic dispute that escalated into violence Sunday afternoon.
Authorities said the incident began just before noon when 39-year-old Brian Huggins became aggressive while trying to reach his ex-girlfriend at the apartment complex.
Riley Packett, a nearby resident, said he witnessed the situation unfold.
“I was going to get lunch for me and my girlfriend and I noticed somebody trying to break in,” Packett said.
Suspect Attempted Forced Entry
Packett said Huggins tried to break into the apartment. “It started with him kicking it, trying to kick the door down and then it kind of turned to like, smashing on the window and then kind of punching it,” Packett said. He initially considered stepping in but hesitated after a brief moment.
“We caught eye contact for a second, and you could like tell that, he had like demons in him or something,” Packett said. Packett then called police.
Deputy Shot Upon Arrival
Law enforcement said when the first deputy arrived, Huggins opened fire, hitting the deputy in the arm and chest. Huggins then retreated back inside the apartment.
“I was kind of scared I’m not going to lie because I knew whoever was in that building he was trying to get to, he had a lot of malicious intent,” Packett said.
Additional deputies later entered the building from the rear and found Huggins in a hallway with what authorities described as a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Another neighbor, Sam Roberts, said he noticed something was wrong as he returned home. “When I drove into my driveway, I saw her running out screaming, that’s when I seen something was going on,” Roberts said.
Roberts described the neighborhood as typically quiet and said the incident was shocking. “Oh I felt kind of like, nervous. I didn’t know what he was going to do, if he was going to come out and start shooting,” Roberts said.
“You wouldn’t think something like this would happen here, but I guess, you know, it happens everywhere,” Packett added.
The injured deputy underwent surgery Sunday afternoon and is expected to survive. Officials said he is currently in stable condition at Bergen Mercy Hospital.
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