OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) - Omaha Police identified the officers involved in a fatal shooting of a Black man on Thursday night.
Kenneth Jones, 35, was shot during a struggle with officers that ensued after what began as a routine traffic stop near 27th and Harrison.
Police identified the officers as 29-year-old Dan Faulkner and 31-year-old Richard Martier.
Both have been with the department since 2016 and both are currently on paid administrative leave.
The group Problac protested the incident on Friday night with another protest slated for Saturday night. They are demanding the release of the body-cam footage from the incident.
The body-cam footage is something Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert said can't be released by Omaha Police right now. Stothert has said a grand jury will review the officer-involved shooting. The grand jury could be delayed due to COVID-19, as many investigations are on hold or backlogged.
Omaha Police released their account of Thursday's officer-involved shooting in a Facebook post on Saturday. Read their account below or by clicking here.
Police plan to further address the incident at a press conference on Monday.
The involved officer's interviews have been completed. As a reminder, the Omaha Police Department does not release officer's names and biographical information until after they have been interviewed so as to maintain the integrity of the interview.
Involved Officers:Officer Dan FAULKNER is a 29-year old veteran who has been with the Omaha Police Department since 2016.Officer Richard MARTIER is a 31-year old veteran who has been with the Omaha Police Department since 2016.
Officer MARTIER, who was driving, and FAULKNER, the passenger officer, said they were traveling south on 27th Street by Strafford Square Apartments when they saw a Dodge Charger southbound on 27th Street, stopped in the middle of the road. The officers said the vehicle's hazard lights were not on.
The officers said they watched as the vehicle would drive forward a couple of feet and stop, and then drive forward again. The officers said the car continued this action for half of a block, so officers turned on their overhead lights to initiate a traffic stop at the intersection of 27th and Harrison Streets. Both officers thought the driver might be impaired, but they did not know, so a traffic stop was conducted.
The officer's statement regarding the traffic stop, verbal commands, and contact with the occupants, including removing JONES from the vehicle, is consistent with what was captured on BWC and Mobile Video Recorder. Both officers also described the struggle with JONES and their repeated verbal commands. The reason JONES was the only occupant removed from the vehicle was because he was the only one who did not comply with the officer's orders to put his hands in the air. In addition, he was concealing his hands, which was causing the officers safety concerns.
We are continuing to conduct interviews and follow-up regarding this investigation. The forensic firearms examinations are also being completed.
The details of the incident will be discussed at a press conference, which will be held Monday, November 23, 2020. Press conference details will be forthcoming and contain COVID-19 instructions.
The Omaha Police Department is cognizant of the desire for more information. We are conducting a thorough investigation, and many of the questions that the public has cannot be answered within the first 24-hours.
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