Two veteran officers from the Omaha Police Department responded to 911 calls about a woman brandishing a kitchen knife in a Walmart parking lot on Tuesday morning. The suspect, identified as 31‑year‑old Noemi Guzman, forced a child in a cart and his babysitter onto the curb before stabbing the boy in the face. Police said she refused repeated commands to drop the weapon.

Surveillance footage captured Guzman stealing the knife inside the store, threatening the child, and walking the guardian ahead of the cart. Officers arrived, engaged her for roughly 30 seconds, and then fired, killing her on the scene. The toddler was rushed to Children’s Nebraska Hospital, where doctors treated non‑life‑threatening facial and hand injuries that required 17 to 20 stitches.

Both officers, Brian Seaton and Roger Oseka, each with 22 years of service, were placed on paid leave pending a joint investigation by the Nebraska State Patrol and county sheriffs. The case will proceed to a grand jury, as required when a death occurs during police custody. The incident underscores the challenges departments face when confronting mentally ill individuals with weapons.