Officer Coral Walker is honored for his decisive and courageous actions to single-handedly engage an active shooter and end his deadly rampage.
On June 15, 2013, officers of the Omaha Police Department, responding to a 911 call, found a critically wounded 31-year-old resident in an apartment building. The victim had been shot in the head. A witness gave a brief description of the suspect, whose location was unknown.
A short time later, dispatch reported another shooting nearby, with a suspect whose description matched that of the initial shooter. Before officers could arrive at this second shooting scene, the dispatcher broadcast a third shooting in the area. It was readily apparent that the three shootings were related. An investigator arriving on the scene of the third shooting reported that the suspect was seen on foot. He gave his last known direction of travel.
While traveling in the area, Officer Coral Walker met someone who had seen a possible suspect. Moments later, Officer Walker located the man and drove toward him. The suspect opened fire on Officer Walker's cruiser. While still seated in his car, Officer Walker returned fire. The exchange continued as Officer Walker left his cruiser, and he was ultimately able to mortally wound the suspect.
The shooter killed two individuals and critically wounded two others during the rampage. An investigation determined that he had a connection with his first victim, but the other three victims were apparently chosen at random.