One man dead, another hurt in officer-involved shooting

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By TIMBERLY ROSS / The Associated Press

OMAHA, Neb. — One person has died after an off-duty police officer opened fire on an armed assailant at a gas station in north Omaha.

Omaha police have identified the man killed as 21-year-old Leroy Goodwin of Omaha.

Another man, 29-year-old Michael Moss of Omaha, was wounded, but authorities were investigating who shot him.

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In this photo released by The Omaha Police Department, Leroy Goodwin of Omaha is seen in this undated photo. Goodwin, 21, was identified as the man killed by off-duty police officers, after the two officers observed a fight early Sunday, Goodwin, one of the men allegedly involved in the fight, brandished a weapon, police say one of the officers shot him. (AP)

Police said two off-duty officers were providing security at the gas station early Sunday morning and observed a fight break out about 2:30 a.m. Fifty to 60 people had gathered at the gas station, and about 10 were involved in the altercation.

According to police, Goodwin was among the fighters, and he pulled out a gun and pointed it at someone. That’s when Officer Jarvis Duncan shot him.

Goodwin was taken to Creighton University Medial Center, where he died.

Moss was taken to the Nebraska Medical Center. A hospital spokeswoman said Sunday that his condition was not being released. Police said his injuries were not life threatening.

Jarvis and Randy Szemplenski, the other off-duty officer who was at the scene, have been placed on administrative leave.

Jarvis has been on the force for 11 years. In April, he was honored as a 2007 Officer of the Year for his work to free a man who had been robbed and locked in a car trunk for more than five hours in sweltering weather.

Szemplenski has been with the department for 19 years.

A grand jury will be called to investigate the shooting. Nebraska law requires a grand jury to convene whenever someone dies in law enforcement custody or during an arrest.