Friday marks six weeks since Michael Brinkman, an Omaha roofing contractor was shot and killed at his home in West Omaha by two masked gunmen. No arrests have been made, leaving Brinkman's friends and family with many unanswered questions.
"It's tough for Kim and Seth and Nicole not having answers. It's tough for his family and friends not having answers," says Wayne Leighton, one of Brinkman's closest friends. They met on a baseball field nearly 30 years ago.
"He was a fun loving guy. Good guy," recalls Leighton.
Brinkman and his companion were getting ready to head to dinner on December 23rd when the killers surprised them at their home door on Tammy Trail near 185th and Q street.
Detectives say they're unsure of the motive, or if it was a targeted or random killing. They indicate nothing was taken from the home.
Leighton says the lack of information on the motive and killers has left him imagining the worst.
"It's very hard because I run 500 scenarios through my head - why? What? But to have some closure for Seth, Kim and Nicole and his family and friends would be a big step in the healing process," says Leighton. "And for all of us. I can't drive anywhere without a piece of paper and a pen in case I see a White Durango."
Now for the sake of Brinkman's family, Leighton asks that the Omaha community help bring justice for Brinkman and closure for his family.
"I beg and plead of the Omaha community, please, If you hear something, call Crimestoppers. No clue is too small. It may be that small clue that opens up the door...because this murder cannot go unsolved. Mike was a fantastic human being. He was a giving, caring loving man to anybody that knew him."
if you have any information, call the Omaha Police Department CrimeStoppers at 402-444-STOP (7867). You could receive a $25,000 cash reward for information leading to an arrest.
