Write-though 7 p.m.
An active shooter training that included simulated gunfire and people posing as injured victims, terrified employees of Catholic Charities in May and led to six felony charges for a Douglas County man.
While the man, 27-year-old John Channels was hired by Catholic Charities to conduct active shooter training, employees and bystanders in the area were completely unaware the training would include simulated gunfire, according to documents.
"I've never seen a situation like this, where a person has a real gun shooting blanks," said Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine.
Channels is now facing five felony counts of terroristic threats and one count of using a weapon to commit a felony.
The incident occurred May 19, just days after a gunman opened fire in a Buffalo grocery store and less than a week before the tragic mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
Police say they arrived at a chaotic scene where people were running away from Catholic Charities near 93rd and Bedford Streets. Eventually, they found Channels, who said he was posing as a gunman and identified himself to police as an Offutt Civilian Police Officer.
"Police came, they didn't know this was happening. They thought it was a real active shooter. There were people calling 911," Kleine said.
Later police learned that two employees, Carrie Walter and Mike Welna, organized the training and paid Channels $2,500 to conduct it, after receiving a referral, according to documents. It states Channels insisted employees be left in the dark, which left Walter uncomfortable.
The arrest affidavit states Walter was seeking active shooter training because the organization recently moved into a new building that included a domestic violence unit.
It appears employees had little idea what to expect, only being alerted of an ‘Active Threat Response Training Exercise,’ with one employee thinking it would include a speaker and a Powerpoint presentation.
Instead, the court documents describe disorder and panic: Employees screaming, people running down hallways looking for exits. One woman attempted to jump into a dumpster from a retaining wall.
A neighbor that lives across the street from the building remembers being alarmed when hearing gunshots outside his apartment.
"We all thought there was an active shooting and it was just terrifying and sure it was actually quite traumatic for most of us," Matthew Turvey, a neighbor said.
Kleine said this could have been way worse and this is not how the drill should have been conducted.
"Somebody could have had a firearm there and used it. Someone could have had a heart attack, that was, you know, because of the fright factor, or fell or hurt themselves in that manner," Kleine said.
Channels makes his first appearance in Douglas County Court on Thursday. He also faces two felony charges in a separate case for sex-related crimes.
Investigators say Channels allegedly forced a 12- to 13-year-old girl to perform oral sex on him several years ago. That case has moved to Douglas County District Court.
A full statement from Denise Bartels, the executive director at Catholic Charities:
Over the years, Catholic Charities has been successful because of the talented and dedicated staff who care deeply about our community and our mission. The health and safety of our staff: mentally, physically, and spiritually is our foremost concern. Our intention in holding the training on May 19th was for the safety and security of our staff and to prepare for the sad reality that organizations face today.
Mr. Channels was selected based upon recommendations from respected sources, and he clearly misrepresented himself and his qualifications. He did not follow the agreed-upon procedures for the training, mishandled its implementation, and did not complete the pre-training communication with Omaha Police and 911 dispatchers. We deeply regret following his recommendations and selecting him for the training.
Immediately following the event, our staff came together to address the incident, and all concerns. All staff were offered compassion and support as well as mental health services. We have continued to offer care and mental health support for anyone still affected by the drill.
Additionally, we fully cooperated with the Omaha Police Department’s investigation of Mr. Channels mishandling of the training. We will continue to work with the proper authorities to make sure that no other organization is victimized by Mr. Channels with this type of training.
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