Omaha police say 2 officers, suspect wounded in shooting at Creighton University hospital

2 officers wounded in Omaha hospital shooting

OMAHA, Neb. — Two officers were hit and a suspect was critically injured in a shooting at Creighton University Medical Center on Wednesday morning, Omaha police said.

Police spokesman Jacob Bettin said the officers suffered minor wounds. Authorities have not released the names of the officers and the suspect.

The shooting occurred inside the hospital, Bettin said, but he would not say where. He said investigators were interviewing several witnesses and that the first call about the shooting came in to police at 9:19 a.m.

Omaha television station KETV reported that witnesses said the shooting occurred in or near the cafeteria.

Hospital employees outside the center declined to answer questions from The Associated Press.

Investigators were checking to see whether the suspect was connected to an incident early Wednesday morning in suburban Ralston, Bettin said.

Omaha television station WOWT said officers had been chasing a man sought in a domestic dispute in La Vista, but that the officers ended the chase when it reached dangerous speeds. The report said that a short time later, a little after 12:30 a.m., the man’s vehicle crashed in Ralston, which is just north of La Vista. He escaped.

Late Wednesday morning, police and security officers were stationed outside the hospital. Police stopped anyone leaving the hospital to check if they had already spoken with investigators inside.

Patients with appointments were allowed inside.

Bettin said the hospital remained in partial lockdown to protect the crime scene and evidence.

Creighton University Medical Center is one of two trauma centers in Omaha. The hospital sits a few blocks north of downtown and has 334 beds. It is affiliated with Creighton’s medical school.

It has a network of nearly 300 physicians who practice in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa.

Associated Press writers Josh Funk and Nelson Lampe contributed to this report.

Online:

Creighton University Medical Center: www.creightonhospital.com

Omaha Police: www.opd.ci.omaha.ne.us