- The Omaha Police Department is seeking information from witnesses regarding the arrest of Edward Henry, who died eight hours after being taken into custody at the Douglas County Department of Corrections.
- A video shared with KMTV shows police attempting to restrain and arrest Henry while holding him on the ground.
- Two separate investigations are underway: one into Henry's in-custody death and another into the arrest itself, as authorities express condolences to his family and friends.
A video shared with KMTV shows the arrest of Edward Henry (54), the man who died in the Douglas County Department of Corrections on Wednesday. The Omaha Police Department is asking witnesses for information regarding an ongoing investigation.
Watch Hannah's story:
The video was taken by Vincent Nelson.
Henry can be heard saying, “I’m telling you it hurts,” as an officer commands him to get down on the ground. A witness is heard saying, “Man, look how you all up on him.”
The video shows multiple officers attempting to restrain Henry and hold him on the ground. One person in the video remarked, “He hitting’ him, he hitting him. Y’all see it, y’all see it.”
Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer issued a statement following a preliminary review of the officers' body-worn cameras, stating that no officers were on Henry's back and that no neck restraints were used. The only strike observed was one to Henry's hand while officers attempted to place handcuffs on him.
Schmaderer emphasized that “Transparency and accountability are essential to maintaining public trust.”
Two separate investigations will take place: one into the in-custody death and the other into the arrest.
According to the Douglas County Department of Corrections, Henry was found unresponsive in his jail cell shortly after 2:17 a.m., having been in custody for less than eight hours. Corrections staff performed CPR and called 911. He was transported by the Omaha Fire Department, which continued CPR. Henry was pronounced dead at Nebraska Medicine at 3:11 a.m.
He had been booked into the facility on charges of burglary, driving with a suspended license, and obstruction. The Omaha Police and Douglas County Department of Corrections expressed condolences to Henry’s family and friends.
Officials will not make further comments on the incident until the case is presented to a grand jury.
