Omaha officer followed policy when he fatally shot a fleeing man 8 times, police chief says

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Omaha's police chief said Wednesday that an officer followed protocol when he shot a fleeing, armed Nebraska man eight times this weekend, killing him.

Steven Phipps, 22, is the second Black man killed by an Omaha officer in the past two months.

Omaha police Chief Todd Schmaderer told reporters that police pulled Phipps over for expired plates during a traffic stop Saturday and he ran away. Two officers chased him. Schmaderer said Phipps had a gun, which he legally owned, as he scaled a fence.

The firearm was pointed at Officer Noah Zendejas as Phipps fell from the fence, and body camera video stills show the gun in his right hand as he fell, police said. Zendejas, who is Hispanic and has worked for Omaha police for three years, then shot Phipps. Police released a compilation of video and audio from the shooting.

Schmaderer said Zendejas first spotted a heavy weight in Phipps' hoodie as he ran.

Steven Phipps' aunt, Angela Phipps, was with the family when police showed them the full video and audio from the shooting, which wasn’t all released at Wednesday's news conference. She said she heard Phipps repeatedly say “don't shoot me” after he hit the ground while holding his hands and one leg up “like a Heisman pose but laying on the ground.”

But Omaha Police Lt. Neal Bonacci said that isn't accurate because the body camera video shows most of the shots were fired while Phipps was in midair. Bonacci said Phipps did say something after he landed, but that was after he had already been shot. He said Phipps didn't drop the gun until after he landed.

Asked by reporters whether Phipps' gun was accidentally pointed at officers because he was falling, Schmaderer said that was “entirely possible.” But he questioned why Phipps still had possession of the gun and had not thrown it to the side. Schmaderer said Zendejas was also concerned about the risk to a public transit stop nearby.

“We really don't know what Mr. Phipps' intent was,” Schmaderer said. “But when that gun started to be pointed to him and he had it in his hand, that officer's authorized at that point to defend himself.”

Zendejas has not previously been disciplined for any use-of-force violations, Bonacci said.

Police said an autopsy shows Phipps was not shot in the back, and they showed a photo of his back to the family. A copy of the autopsy was not immediately provided to reporters.

Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine will review the investigation and decide whether to file charges, and the shooting will later be reviewed by a grand jury under Nebraska law. Kleine’s office did not immediately say when he will announce his decision on any charges.

Phipps' family, who said his father was killed four years ago in California, is distraught over losing him. They said Phipps got off work shortly before the shooting and had his little brother in the car with him.

“I’m so broken that I don’t know what to say. It was just wrong. It was wrong,” said Gail Phipps, his aunt.

Schmaderer said that had Phipps stayed in the car and told officers he had a gun, “he would have been issued a ticket for expired plates.” But his family said he had tried that in the past and was still arrested for having a concealed weapon.

Schmaderer pointed to a recent rise in the number of guns officers are finding in the community and said it's important for people to follow police orders.

“When somebody runs from a law enforcement officer, they’re trained to go after them,” he said. “We’re attempting to reduce crime. The minute I say as chief, ‘We’re no longer going to go after law violators,’ is the minute crime starts going up.”

Last month Schmaderer fired another officer who fatally shot an unarmed man while serving a no-knock warrant, a policy that has since been suspended in the city.

Omaha Police Officer Adam Vail was part of a SWAT team serving a search warrant during a drug and firearms investigation Aug. 28 when he fired the single shot that killed 37-year-old Cameron Ford, prosecutors said. Vail said Ford, who was Black, charged at him without his hands visible.

Kleine declined to charge the officer, but Schmaderer said an internal investigation found Vail violated department procedures.

Schmaderer said he is working to rebuild trust with residents after both shootings and planned to attend another community meeting Wednesday afternoon.

Ballentine reported from Jefferson City, Missouri.

This early 2024 photo provided by Angela Phipps shows Steven Phipps, left, hugging his mom at a family gathering in Omaha, Neb. (Angela Phipps via AP)

This early 2024 photo provided by Angela Phipps shows Steven Phipps performing music in Omaha, Neb. (Angela Phipps via AP)

Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer speaks during a news conference on the fatal shooting of Steven Phipps Jr., 22, by police, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, at Omaha Police Headquarters in Omaha, Neb. (Nikos Frazier/Omaha World-Herald via AP)

Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer, left, speaks during a news conference on the fatal shooting of Steven Phipps Jr., 22, by police, next to Omaha Mayor Jean Stother, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, at Omaha Police Headquarters in Omaha, Neb.(Nikos Frazier/Omaha World-Herald via AP)

Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer speaks during a news conference on the fatal shooting of Steven Phipps Jr., 22, by police, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, at Omaha Police Headquarters in Omaha, Neb. (Nikos Frazier/Omaha World-Herald via AP)

ALTENMARKT-ZAUCHENSEE, Austria (AP) — Lindsey Vonn showed again Saturday she is the standout downhill racer in this Olympic season.

Vonn won her second World Cup downhill in four races this season, raising expectations in this remarkable comeback racing at age 41 with her right knee rebuilt using titanium implants.

The United States star was 0.37 seconds faster than Kajsa Vickhoff Lie in tricky, overcast conditions. Vonn was jumping up cheering in the leader’s box when her teammate Jacqueline Wiles raced into third place, 0.48 back.

On a shortened course that took her fewer than 67 seconds to complete, Vonn still clocked 130 kph (81 mph) for one of the fastest speeds any women racer will hit this season.

“It feels amazing. I try to enjoy every single second I am out here because it is just so fun to go fast,” she said.

Vonn crossed the finish line with a look of determined satisfaction, punching the air with her right fist and nodding with short, sharp movements of her head.

“I knew what it was going to take to win today," she said. "It was a sprint and I had to give it everything I had, definitely had to risk a little bit.”

With each victory, Vonn extends her record as the oldest race winner in the 60-season history of the World Cup circuit. Her 84th career win on the circuit was her record-extending 45th in downhill.

The United States star later made a family video phone call alongside her coach Aksel Lund Svindal, the men’s downhill champion at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics where Vonn took bronze in the women’s race.

Vonn was Olympic downhill champion at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games and shapes as a strong contender for the next gold medal race scheduled Feb. 8 on the first Sunday at the Milan Cortina Olympics.

It is at the storied Cortina d’Ampezzo slope where Vonn has excelled in her career, including a World Cup downhill win eight years ago where Wiles also was third.

“Being on the podium again with her is super special,” Wiles said.

Sofia Goggia, the 2018 Olympic champion, was only 17th Saturday trailing Vonn by 0.97.

The defending Olympic champion, Corinne Suter, made her season debut Saturday after injuries and was more than a second slower than Vonn.

The U.S. team had five racers in the top 20 with world champion Breezy Johnson seventh, 21-year-old Allison Mollin a career-best 14th and Keely Cashman tied for 18th, less than a second behind Vonn.

The race was delayed for 25 minutes while Austrian prospect Magdalena Egger was airlifted from the course after a season-ending fall and crash into the safety nets. She stood up with a bloodied nose, and later tests showed extensive damage to her right knee including a torn ACL, the Austrian ski federation said.

Egger was runner-up in Vonn’s season-opening downhill win last month at St. Moritz, Switzerland.

Vonn extended her lead in the season-long World Cup downhill standings, after finishing second and third in the other races. Saturday’s race was the fourth of nine scheduled downhills in the World Cup this season.

She earned 100 race points and now leads by 129 from Emma Aicher of Germany, who placed sixth Saturday. Vonn is chasing a ninth World Cup downhill season title a full 10 years after her eighth, when she also won in Zauchensee.

“I felt like I was skiing better in super-G this summer," she said, "but when I got to the races in St Moritz everything was working really well right from the start.”

On Sunday, Vonn will start in a super-G that should be on a longer course than the downhill.

AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing

United States' Lindsey Vonn sprays sparkling wine as she celebrates on podium after winning an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Zauchensee, Austria, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

United States' Lindsey Vonn is airborne as she speeds down the course to win an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Zauchensee, Austria, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

Austria's Magdalena Egger is lifted on a helicopter after crashing during an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Zauchensee, Austria, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

Austria's Magdalena Egger gets medical assistance after crashing during an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Zauchensee, Austria, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

United States' Lindsey Vonn is airborne as he speeds down the course during an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Zauchensee, Austria, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

United States' Lindsey Vonn reacts at the finish line during an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Zauchensee, Austria, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

United States' Lindsey Vonn speeds down the course during an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Zauchensee, Austria, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)