Nebraska state troopers face off with gun yielding murder suspect in rural Butler County
BUTLER COUNTY, Neb. (KLKN) – The pursuit for a murder suspect ended in gunfire near County Road 37 and O road outside of David City on Friday.
Investigators could be seen canvassing the area several hours after two Nebraska State troopers shot and killed a suspect they believe murdered a man in the city of Duncan, 30 minutes away.
Nearby residents told Channel 8 that it’s not a sight they normally see in the rural area.
As for how the mayhem first started, Lt. Col. Jason Scott told reporters on Friday that law enforcement received a 911 call Friday morning, reporting a shooting at a private residence in rural Polk County near Duncan.
When police arrived, they found an adult male dead from an apparent gunshot wound.
After identifying a possible suspect and the vehicle he was in, officers in several counties began to search for him.
The Butler County Sheriff’s office later finding the suspect’s vehicle near Road 37 and O; despite the vehicle being empty at first sight, the suspect was nearby and began shooting at officers.
While officers found a safe vantage point, the suspect got back into the vehicle and drove off.
“Troopers then joined in the pursuit and the suspect drove into the driveway of a residence Northeast of David City. The suspect continued firing shots again and two troopers returned fire,” said Scott.
One of those shots struck and killed the suspect on scene.
NSP blocked the road leading to the home as investigators continued searching for evidence.
Nearby resident Nayeli Villa told Channel 8 that incidents like this are rare for the rural quiet community, surrounded in acres of farmland.
“These types of things don’t really happen a lot. It’s mostly just like, the only thing that really happens around here is getting pulled over and things like that,” said Villa.
No officers were injured in the gunfire and the two troopers involved in the shooting are currently on paid leave as per state patrol protocols.
The names of both people killed on Friday have not yet been released.
When asked about whether this occurrence has created any fear in the community, Villa said, “No, it doesn’t. Nothing really happens often enough to change that.”
This is an ongoing investigation that the Lancaster County Sheriff’s office is also helping investigate.
