Group of Lincoln friends winners of $1M lottery prize

Photo Courtesy: Nebraska Lottery 

Five friends from Lincoln are a million dollars richer, after going in on a Powerball ticket. 

“I went and saw the news article and it said somebody bought a ticket in Northwest Lincoln and I was like, I did that.. it said somebody bought a ticket at a U–Stop.. I did that,” said Douglas Murray.

The group is made up of Douglas Murray, Felipe Oscorio, Eric Cobb, Chris Hinkley and Yevgeniy Koval.

Lottery officials say they purchased the winning ticket from U-Stop at 2925 NW 12th Street in Lincoln. Murray has only purchased tickets at this location.

Their ticket matched five numbers, but not the winning Powerball number, from the November 21 drawing. 

Murray checked the ticket online Friday morning and couldn’t believe it. He instantly remembered the actual ticket was in the visor of his car.

“I ran out immediately to get it, my mom lives with me so I went downstairs and woke my mom up and said hold this ticket, I’m going to read you numbers and confirm what I’m reading is accurate and she said it was and we were both just like.. oh my,” said Murray.

The group members call themselves ‘The Five,’ and say they’ve been friends since high school and college. 

They met together in Lincoln for Thanksgiving, it was the first time they have all been together in years.

Murray says the group has very similar ideas on what they plan on doing with the money.

“Even though it’s not millions a piece, it’s life changing money, we can get out of debt, some of us can pay off mortgages, it takes a burden off that we have, that everybody has out there and we have the luxury of hopefully getting out of debt for the other guys. I’m out, I’m completely out of debt so it’s life changing, it’s exciting,” said Murray.

They normally purchase tickets collectively when a jackpot reaches over $100 million. 

They say they’ll continue playing, hoping to win the jackpot.