No charges in shooting outside Lincoln hookah bar; ‘This is not over,’ family vows

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – The Lancaster County Attorney’s Office is not filing criminal charges in a deadly shooting outside of a Lincoln hookah bar last month.

On Tuesday, prosecutors said they cannot prove “beyond a reasonable doubt all the elements of a crime” after an investigation and forensic analysis.

Gregory Little Jr., 32, was shot and killed by a security guard outside the Royal Hookah Bar and Lounge on April 7, according to police.

The attorney’s office provided a timeline of events that led up to the shooting.

Investigators said a fight broke out between Little’s friend and the security guard.

While punches were being thrown, two handguns fell out of the guard’s vests.

Authorities said Little picked up one of them.

The security guard then fired four shots, according to the Lincoln Police Department, hitting Little three times.

In a press release, Lancaster County Attorney Pat Condon said the security guard’s actions “were justified under the totality of the circumstances.”

“It is unknown what Mr. Little’s intent was as he reached down to pick up the Glock 9mm handgun that had been knocked from the security guard’s tactical vest,” Condon said in the statement. “However, under the totality of the circumstances, the security guard’s belief that Mr. Little posed an imminent risk of death or serious bodily injury was a reasonable one.”

Condon said witness video and DNA testing corroborated the security guard’s statement.

Little’s sister, Joy Taylor, said their family is devastated by the news.

“I don’t understand how you can shoot someone four times and call it self-defense,” Taylor said.

Antonio Taylor, Little’s brother, said he’s confused about why the security guard was armed in the first place.

“Why would an armed security guard need three guns as a bar in Lincoln, Nebraska?” Antonio asked.

Joy said this is weighing heavily on the family.

“I didn’t sleep at all last night,” she said. “How many more nights am I not going to sleep? I will never be the same again. His kids will never be the same again. My siblings will never be the same again. And he gets to walk free while our hearts are broken.”

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Since the shooting, Little’s family has called for justice and answers.  On May 5, they gathered outside the Lancaster County Courthouse chanting “Justice for Greg.”

His family said this won’t stop them.

“This is not over,” Joy Taylor said. “Justice will be served. LPD might not do their job, but we can find someone who does.”

The family plans to keep protesting and will hire a new attorney.

“I will go to my grave spending every quarter I have to have justice for Gregory,” said Vernadine Taylor, Little’s mother. “I promise that.”

Condon and Lincoln Police Chief Michon Morrow offered their condolences to Little’s family in the press release.

“We understand the results are not what they hoped for, and we extend our heartfelt sympathies during this difficult time of grief and loss,” Morrow said.