Investigators are reviewing body-camera images and store surveillance after a child was cut.
OMAHA, Neb. — Body-camera images and Walmart surveillance video have become central evidence in a fatal police shooting after authorities say a woman stole a kitchen knife, took a 3-year-old boy and cut him outside the store.
The Tuesday morning incident at 1606 S. 72nd St. moved across several recorded spaces, from a store aisle to an exit path and then to the south parking lot entry. Omaha police said the woman, Noemi Guzman, 31, died after two patrol officers fired at her. The boy, identified by family as Cyler Hillman, was taken to Children’s Hospital with wounds to his face and hand and was expected to survive.
Police said surveillance video first showed Guzman taking a large kitchen knife from inside the store. Investigators said she then approached a female shopper and the boy in an aisle. Deputy Chief Scott Gray said Guzman produced the knife and “took possession of the child, essentially kidnapping the child.” The video and witness accounts are being used to map how the encounter developed without drawing a major reaction from nearby shoppers. Gray said the actions inside the store did not necessarily look like an obvious crime to others watching from a distance.
The route through the store is a key part of the investigation. Police said Guzman forced the caretaker to walk in front of the shopping cart while Guzman followed with the child. The boy stayed in the cart as the group moved toward the exit. Gray said they appeared to walk out in a purposeful but casual manner. That detail matters because investigators are examining why store staff and shoppers may not have immediately understood that the caretaker was being threatened and that the child had been taken.
Outside, the scene changed. Police said Guzman and the caretaker reached the area near the southern parking lot entry, where they exchanged words for several minutes. The first 911 call had come in as a woman asking for police help before she stopped giving details. A second call reported that a woman with a large kitchen knife was with a young child. The calls sent a two-officer patrol unit to the Walmart at about 9:20 a.m., a few minutes after dispatchers received the first request for help.
When the officers arrived, police said they saw Guzman by the cart with the child inside. Officials said she was making threats with the knife. The officers gave repeated commands for her to drop it. Gray said Guzman began swiping at the boy with the knife, cutting him across the face. Police said both officers fired. Guzman was hit and was pronounced dead at the scene after officers attempted life-saving measures. The child’s caretaker and a bystander pulled the boy from the cart after the gunfire and took him away from the immediate danger.
The department later released still images from body-worn cameras. Police said the images showed Guzman with the knife raised near the boy as an officer aimed his gun. News outlets blurred some images because of their graphic nature. The still frames do not answer every question, but officials said they capture the final moments before the officers fired. Police said additional video from inside the store and from the parking lot was being collected and reviewed as part of the investigation.
The child’s injuries also help mark the timing of the officers’ decision. Gray said the boy suffered a large cut across the left side of his face and a cut to his hand. Family members said he was out of surgery later Tuesday. His mother, Sara Hillman, said the family was thinking about how close the outcome had been. His father, Casey Hillman, said that without the officers’ response, the family might have lost him. Police said the boy’s injuries were serious, but officials did not describe them as life-threatening.
Authorities said the video review has not shown a prior connection between Guzman and the child’s family. Gray said the two women did not know each other, and officials described the attack as random and isolated. Police had not released a motive. They also had not released the officers’ names as of the early public updates. Both officers were placed on paid critical incident leave under department policy, and the shooting review was assigned to the Omaha Police Department’s Officer-Involved Investigations Team.
City officials framed the released images as part of an effort to show why officers fired. Police Chief Todd Schmaderer said the officers used direct action to save the child’s life. Mayor John Ewing Jr. said he was grateful for the department’s professionalism and transparency. The investigation, however, remains active. The Nebraska State Patrol and Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office are assisting, and the case is expected to be presented to a grand jury because Guzman died during an encounter with law enforcement.
Investigators are also reviewing Guzman’s background. Omaha police confirmed prior contact with her before the Walmart incident, though officials did not say where or when that contact happened. Local reports tied her to a 2024 case involving an attack on her father and a break-in at St. Francis Cabrini Church, where a priest barricaded himself. Guzman was later found not responsible by reason of insanity in that case. Police have not connected those past events to a motive in the Walmart attack.
The evidence trail now runs through 911 audio, store surveillance, body-camera video, witness statements, medical records and the recovered knife. Police said the Walmart was largely cleared as investigators worked. The boy continued to recover, and officials said the review would determine the full sequence of events before the shooting.
Author note: Last updated May 6, 2026.