One man dead following officer-involved shooting Sunday evening

On Sunday, May 16, 2021 at 5:36pm, Omaha Police Officers were dispatched to 4107 S 41st Avenue for an assault in progress. The original 911 call indicated a white male, later identified as Deven Telford (5/11/87), was inside of the residence armed with a handgun, intoxicated, and discharging the firearm. There were several individuals inside the residence with Telford when he started shooting the gun. The individuals stated Telford became very upset about some personal issues and began drinking excessively, which was uncustomary for Telford. It was reported Telford began making suicidal comments while he shaved his beard and put on his old military uniform (described as fatigues, boots and hat from his prior military service). Witnesses said Telford pulled out a handgun from his waistband and repeatedly said he was going to ‘give-in’ because he was tired. Witnesses stated Telford shot the gun approximately 9 times while inside the house and at one point positioned the gun against his temple while crying and stating he wanted to end his life. One individual attempted to get the gun away from Telford which prompted Telford to point the gun passed the individual’s head and shoot twice; the individual stated they could feel concussions from the gunshots and Telford was becoming more visibly agitated. The individuals exited the residence and one of them called police.

Officers arrived on scene at approximately 5:40pm and heard shots inside the residence, it was determined that Telford fired numerous gunshots while inside the house. Officers cleared people in the immediate area to safety and set up a perimeter around the residence. An Omaha Fire Department ambulance was put on stand-by in the area and a trained OPD negotiator responded to the scene. The negotiator made phone contact with Telford and attempted to de-escalate the situation. Telford used expletives to describe his life while speaking with the negotiator and made comments that he ‘was done’. The negotiator continually tried to convince Telford to put his gun down and come outside peacefully. After approximately 20 minutes of correspondence, Telford entered the enclosed front porch with his handgun while an officer repeatedly gave directions over a loudspeaker to put down his firearm and raise his hands. Instead of following the officer’s directions, Telford discharged his firearm multiple times before exiting the front door of the porch. Telford was holding the firearm in his hand and officers continued to command Telford to drop the gun. Telford did not comply and witness officers describe hearing an additional gunshot. Five officers discharged their firearms and Telford was struck by gunfire. Officers attempted to render initial aid to Telford until OFD medics quickly took over. Telford was pronounced dead at the scene and a 9mm H&K p30 handgun (which was unregistered) was located on the ground near him. None of the responding officers were injured during this incident.

The event was recorded on cruiser video and officers at the scene utilized body cameras but due to their positions of cover portions of the encounter cannot be seen on the body cameras. Detectives continue to review video, speak with witnesses, and conduct ballistics testing over the course of the next few days. An autopsy is scheduled to occur in the morning and as more information becomes available it will be released. The officers who discharged their firearms have been placed on administrative leave and tomorrow investigators will begin interviewing them. The Omaha Police Officer-Involved Investigations Team assisted by the Nebraska State Patrol are investigating.