US3 min(s) read
Published 15:21 15 Apr 2026 GMT
Chilling 911 audio has been released following the fatal shooting of a woman who approached a child in a shopping cart and attacked him with a knife.
On Tuesday (April 14), 31-year-old Noemi Guzman shoplifted the weapon from Walmart before targeting the unnamed three-year-old boy and his guardian in an aisle.
Surveillance footage released by police shows the suspect forcing the child’s guardian to walk ahead of the cart, leaving the child alone inside.
She then led them through the store and out into the parking lot. Deputy Chief Scott Gray confirmed at a press conference that Guzman "took possession of the child, essentially kidnapping the child."
When officers arrived at the scene, one repeatedly ordered Guzman to drop the knife.
However, she refused and began "swiping the knife at the child, cutting him across the face." In response, two officers fired their weapons, striking Guzman.
A bystander and the child’s guardian quickly removed the boy from the cart and began administering first aid, while officers attempted lifesaving measures on Guzman. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The child was rushed to the hospital, where he was treated for a large laceration on the left side of his face and his hand. Thankfully, he is expected to survive.
The woman who made the initial 911 call, asking for the police, was identified as Becky Bissell.
She told KETV that she was leaving the store when the three-year-old's caretaker approached her car, leading Bissell to initially think she was about to be robbed.
In that moment, Bissell was scared, but she quickly noticed the caretaker was crying and immediately called the police.
The caretaker explained that the suspect had been threatening to kill her child. According to Bissell, the woman revealed that earlier in the store, Guzman had approached her, asking for her phone. It was then that the suspect seized the child and revealed a knife.
Bissell expressed shock that no other bystanders intervened, as the suspect had been concealing the weapon.
"After I called police, I could hear the suspect yelling at the victim. And the victim said, 'She wants your phone.' And then she said, 'She's cutting my son,'" Bissell recalled. "He looked very scared."
Bissell praised the caretaker for her bravery in leaving the boy with the suspect. adding that her quick thinking could have been the difference between life and death for the child.
Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer issued a statement, saying: "The responding officers acted with professionalism and direct action to intervene and save a child’s life," per Sky News.
"The community can be reassured in knowing that Omaha police officers stand ready to act with courage and decisiveness in the most serious situations to protect the public," he added.
Mayor John W. Ewing Jr. praised the officials at the scene. The officers involved have now been placed on paid critical incident leave, per KATV.
As the horrific incident took place outside the retailing giant, Walmart said they are working with the police and that "violence like this is unacceptable".
.webp_ke6C2y?tr=cr-169.8.1505.1344,f-webp,q-75)
