UPDATE - 12/12/22:
On Monday, suspect Donatavius Levering,31, was bound over to district court for trial. He is accused of attempted assault on an officer and use of a weapon (motor vehicle) to commit a felony in connection to an incident on Halloween during an annual celebration in the Florence neighborhood.
UPDATE - 11/9/22:
Bond is set for the man accused of driving into a crowded north Omaha event Halloween night.
Dontavius Levering's bond is at $500,000. He must pay 10% to get out of jail.
Police shot Levering after they say he drove past barricades on Minne Lusa Blvd and refused orders to stop.
Levering faces charges of attempted assault on an officer and use of a weapon (motor vehicle) to commit a felony.
UPDATE- 11/5/2022:
Levering has been booked into Douglas County Corrections for Attempted Assault on an Officer and Use of a Weapon (motor vehicle) to Commit a Felony.
UPDATE- 11/1/22:
Omaha Police have named the officer involved in the incident. Bryson Blandford was the officer who discharged his weapon.
Blandford has had four years of service with the department.
UPDATE - 11/1/22:
Omaha Police Department’s Officer Involved Investigations Team is investigating after an officer shot a driver near Minne Lusa Boulevard and Newport Avenue around 7 p.m. Monday evening.
According to a press release from OPD, a planned annual neighborhood Halloween event was happening where various officers were assigned for community outreach.
The event was barricaded off so no vehicle traffic could travel down Minne Lusa Boulevard as the event draws hundreds of people to the area. OPD says authorities were alerted to a vehicle driving recklessly southbound down Minne Lusa Boulevard.
According to OPD, an officer who was handing out candy had his police cruiser parked on the median and ran through the crowd into the street in front of the reckless vehicle. The officer gave multiple loud verbal commands and held out his hand gesturing for the driver to stop the vehicle.
The driver and lone occupant of the vehicle, identified as 31-year-old Dontavius Levering, continued to drive the vehicle toward the officer and the crowd behind him. The officer fired multiple times at Levering and struck him, according to OPD's press release.
The vehicle then came to a stop and Levering received medical attention from the involved officer and other officers in the area. Levering was taken to the University of Nebraska Medical Center in serious condition and is expected to survive.
OPD says various witness statements said Levering was driving recklessly through the barricaded event. They say camera footage in the area also shows he was driving in the wrong direction on Minne Lusa Boulevard and speeding with pedestrians present with headlights off.
Police say the investigation is ongoing at this time and the incident was captured on the officer's body camera.
The Nebraska State Patrol and the Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office are also helping with the investigation.
The officer involved will be interviewed and is currently on paid administrative leave. Chief Schmaderer was on the scene when the situation unfolded, OPD says.
This is a developing story. We will update with more information when it becomes available.
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