Police: Manhunt for Nebraska suspect who shot at officers ends
Updated: 1:15 PM EDT May 31, 2024
A Nebraska manhunt for a suspect police said fired shots at officers ended Friday.
Nebraska state troopers said they were looking for 42-year-old Jason Davenport. Davenport was captured Friday morning after a standoff.
Troopers said they believed Davenport was inside an Omaha residence and had an active warrant for fleeing a traffic stop. He also had fled from troopers last week, Nebraska State Patrol Col. John Bolduc said.
A woman in the residence, identified as Dana Michelle Banks, confirmed that Davenport was in the home, but he refused to exit, authorities said.
He then exited the rear of the house and fired two shots from a handgun at officers before jumping the fence and trying to get into an unoccupied cruiser, Bolduc said.
Davenport attempted to steal the cruiser and a rifle but was unable to because of safety measures, according to Bolduc.
A Ford Focus then drove up, Banks exited the vehicle and Davenport held her in front of him, then she got back into the vehicle willingly, which then drove through the park nearby, Bolduc said.
"You can clearly see he has the handgun in his possession at this time. He, in this photo, clearly is raising the handgun and pointing toward officers. Clearly that's a lethal force situation, very threatening situation for our folks. This is the event where Banks has pulled up and interjected herself back into the scene and was enabling him to get into her vehicle, which they fled in. And this shows that she was being used. It appears as though she was being used as a shield, and then after that, she voluntarily got back into the car," Bolduc said.
According to Bolduc, authorities tried to pursue and lost the vehicle. They determined two hours later that Davenport wasn't in the area, and agencies in Nebraska and Iowa were alerted.
Investigators learned that Davenport may be traveling in a different vehicle, a Kia Soul which was believed to be stolen, authorities said.
Bolduc said after a pursuit, both suspects ran and got into a semitruck cab to hide. The state patrol's SWAT gave commands throughout the standoff, and Davenport was still in possession of firearms, displaying it toward officers, which prompted them to fire.
After the shots were fired, Banks exited and surrendered, Bolduc said. She was taken to the University of Nebraska Medical Center with a gunshot wound, which is considered non-life-threatening.
Authorities were then able to gain access to the cab, a K9 was deployed and Davenport was taken into custody, according to Bolduc.
Davenport has injuries as well, and it is unclear if he was shot, authorities said. He is in the hospital as well.
Charges are pending for Banks and Davenport in Douglas and Washington counties.
Davenport has a criminal history, with numerous law enforcement contacts and was recently incarcerated, authorities said.
Bolduc said the investigation is ongoing, but they now believe that Banks was a willing accomplice and not a hostage.
"It was not expected that he'd come out of the house shooting. That's not an everyday occurrence," Bolduc said.
No officers were struck by gunfire.
According to authorities, 10 troopers and an Omaha police officer are on leave. Bolduc said they are trying to determine if there were more from agencies who fired their weapons.