Omaha police identify man killed after shooting at officers during standoff

OMAHA, Neb. —

Omaha police identified the man who died in a standoff that ended with him shooting at officers.

Officers responded to 19th Street, between Bancroft and Elm streets, around 8:42 a.m. for a disturbance involving a landlord and a tenant at a residence.

Omaha police said the tenant, identified as 55-year-old Matthew Strain, was served an informal eviction notice 30 days earlier and was scheduled to vacate by June 1.

Previous coverage: Omaha police shoot, kill man who fired at officers during standoff

Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer said when officers arrived at the scene, they learned Strain was “highly agitated” during an attempted eviction.

Strain refused to exit his room and threatened to shoot anyone who attempted to enter, investigators said.

Omaha police said officers reported hearing the sound of a “firearm being manipulated and loaded” from inside the room. As officers requested Strain to exit the room, he said: “If anyone comes into this room, someone will die today.”

Investigators said officers evacuated the landlord from the residence and retreated to a safe distance after learning Strain may have an AR-15 style rifle and shotgun.

Omaha police said an investigation showed Strain was a convicted felon and was prohibited from possessing firearms. Officers obtained a warrant for terroristic threats and surveillance continued at the residence until the warrant could be served.

A drone photo shows Strain holding the rifle just before he fired at officers, Omaha police said.

Around 3 p.m., the Omaha police SWAT team and a crisis negotiator arrived at the scene and removed uninvolved individuals from the residence, officials said. Negotiators attempted to persuade Strain to surrender via telephone for nearly an hour.

Omaha police said Strain claimed to have a stockpile of weapons and ammunition, and reiterated that he would shoot at officers if they entered the residence.

Schmaderer said Strain repeatedly stated that he had a high-capacity rifle, told officers to “bring it,” and said he was ready to shoot it out.

Further efforts to de-escalate the situation were unsuccessful, officials said.

Around 4 p.m., the SWAT team approached the residence using a tactical vehicle, driven by the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office, which was able to breach the house near Strain’s second-story bedroom window, investigators said.

Strain then began firing a rifle “equipped with a large-capacity drum magazine” at the tactical vehicle, Omaha police said. Four members of the SWAT team returned fire — two with lethal force weapons and two with chemical munitions.

The rifle recovered from Strain’s bedroom.

Omaha police said after a portion of the house was cleared by the tactical vehicle, a drone entered the room and confirmed that Strain was incapacitated. He was found near the window still holding the rifle and was declared dead at the scene.

Officials said investigators later determined that Strain died from a single gunshot wound to the head. No officers were hurt during the incident.

Omaha police said a search of the residence revealed several additional firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition.

Officials said the incident is still under investigation. Portions of the incident were captured on body-worn and drone cameras.

Omaha police said the five officers involved have been placed on paid critical incident leave, per department policy.

Omaha police said a loaded tactical shotgun was found in Strain’s bedroom.

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