A woman armed with a kitchen knife slashed a 3-year-old boy across the face at a Walmart on Tuesday morning. The attack unfolded in the store’s parking area in Omaha, Nebraska, and ended with police using deadly force against the assailant.
Omaha police identified the attacker as 31-year-old Noemi Guzman. She appeared at the store like a regular shopper until she shoplifted a kitchen knife, which was later used as a weapon. Guzman was captured on the store surveillance camera, taking the knife before walking towards a family of two, a boy sitting in a shopping cart and his guardian. Omaha Police said she brandished the weapon when she was close to the pair and directed the guardian out of the store at knifepoint.
Authorities said as they walked through Walmart, Guzman forced the guardian to lead the way while she held the knife to the child in the cart and followed closely behind.
Police described the incident as essentially a kidnapping. The Omaha Police Department said that around 9:15 a.m., they received multiple 911 calls. The reports were about a woman armed with a “large kitchen knife” at the Walmart on 72nd Street. When responding officers arrived at the scene, Guzman and the victims were in the parking lot.
It is understood that Guzman and the child’s caretaker were arguing for several minutes. Police heard Guzman issuing threats with the knife and tried to de-escalate the situation. “Officers gave multiple verbal commands for Ms. Guzman to drop the knife,” a press release from the department read. It explained that Guzman refused to comply and used the knife to cut the boy.
After she attacked the child, two patrol officers opened fire on Guzman. She collapsed at the scene and was later pronounced dead. The boy, who was later identified as Cyler Hillman, was returned to his guardian, and he later received medical treatment at the hospital. His injuries, a long laceration to the face and a cut to the hand, were described as non-life-threatening.
Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer commended the swift response of the officers, calling their actions professional and life-saving. He said the officers demonstrated the department’s readiness to act with courage and decisiveness to protect the public in dangerous situations.
