Fatal Omaha shooting after eviction dispute: felon opened fire on SWAT

A South Omaha man was shot dead by police after firing on a SWAT vehicle during a standoff rooted in a landlord-tenant eviction row, wowt.com reports.

South Omaha standoff ends in fatal shooting after tenant threatened officers with AR-15

A landlord-tenant dispute in South Omaha turned fatal on Tuesday when 55-year-old Matthew Strain was shot dead by police following an hours-long standoff during which he opened fire on a SWAT tactical vehicle from a bedroom window, wowt.com reports, citing an update issued Wednesday by the Omaha Police Department.

The confrontation had its roots roughly a month earlier, when Strain — who had lived at the 19th Street property for four years — was given an informal eviction notice asking him to vacate by 1 June. He refused to leave.

On the morning of 2 June, the landlord, who also lives in the home, filed a protection order against Strain. In that filing, the landlord stated that when he spoke with Strain on 2 June, Strain told him he would shoot him if he entered his room, that he intended to remain in the home for 90 days, and that the landlord would have to take him to court to remove him. The landlord replied he would contact police and stepped outside to call 911.

Officers arrived at around 8:45 a.m. and knocked on Strain's bedroom door. Strain's response, according to the OPD update, was: "If anyone comes into this room, someone will die today." Having been advised that Strain possessed an AR-15-style rifle and a shotgun, officers evacuated the landlord and withdrew to a safe distance. They reported hearing the sounds of a firearm being handled and loaded inside the room.

The OPD Criminal Investigations Bureau established during the standoff that Strain was a convicted felon — legally prohibited from possessing firearms — and a warrant was issued for "terroristic threats" and felon in possession of a weapon.

A crisis negotiator arrived just after 3 p.m. Other occupants were removed from the home, and for nearly an hour negotiators attempted to persuade Strain to surrender by telephone. During those conversations, Strain claimed to have a stockpile of weapons and ammunition and again stated he would fire on officers. Investigators subsequently recovered several firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition from the home.

When de-escalation efforts failed, OPD SWAT deployed a tactical vehicle known as "The Rook" at around 4 p.m. Strain opened fire on the vehicle from a window using a rifle fitted with a large-capacity drum magazine. Four SWAT team members returned fire — two with lethal-force weapons and two with less-lethal chemical munitions, OPD said.

The Rook was then used to breach part of the structure, allowing officers to send a drone inside to confirm Strain's status. He was found near the window still holding the rifle. Omaha Fire Department personnel pronounced him deceased at the scene. A post-incident examination determined he died from a single gunshot wound to the head.

"The Omaha Police Department extends its condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Strain," the OPD update states.

Omaha Mayor John Ewing, who was briefed on the situation Tuesday evening, told wowt.com's First Alert 6 that the incident illustrated a recurring concern. "You can't have someone go through a neighbourhood firing a weapon," Ewing said. A former chief deputy with OPD spanning more than 40 years, Ewing said officers showed restraint until Strain escalated to shooting. "Once someone escalates to the point of shooting at law enforcement officers, they have a right to protect themselves," he said.

The protection order filing also contained background on Strain's personal situation. The landlord described Strain as a 33-year veteran of the Marine Corps whose pension paperwork had reportedly been mishandled, leaving him without his military pension, and that he was working with a Nebraska senator to resolve the issue. However, a search of Strain's military record through the Department of Defense yielded no results, according to wowt.com.

The filing further noted that a woman Strain had met later moved into the home from Texas, and that disputes over furniture and decorations she brought with her contributed to the deteriorating relationship between the two men — ultimately prompting the landlord to issue the informal eviction letter. Strain subsequently threatened the landlord with "the many ways he wanted me to die," according to the filing. In a text exchange, the landlord asked when Strain would be leaving; Strain replied that he should not worry about it and "can die alone."

Tuesday's fatal shooting marks the second law-enforcement shooting death in the South Omaha area within five days and the fourth across the broader metro area in two months. The four incidents involved separate agencies and distinct circumstances.

The Bellevue Police Department and the Sarpy County Sheriff's Office are assisting OPD with the ongoing investigation. Portions of the incident were captured on body-worn cameras and drone footage, OPD confirmed. Further updates will be issued as the investigation progresses.

Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)