A harrowing alleged kidnapping attempt outside a Walmart in Omaha, Nebraska, has left a young child injured and the suspect dead after police opened fire on the knife-wielding attacker, according to local law enforcement. The incident, which unfolded on a Tuesday afternoon, has sparked renewed conversation about public safety and the handling of individuals with untreated mental illness in communities across the United States.
According to official police accounts, 31-year-old Noemi Guzman first shoplifted a knife from the Walmart location before targeting a 3-year-old boy and his unsuspecting babysitter. Surveillance footage from inside the store confirms that after stealing the blade, Guzman approached the pair as they shopped, brandished the weapon, and forced the babysitter to move ahead of her while the boy remained secured in his shopping trolley. She then led the two through the store and out into the adjacent parking lot, where bystanders quickly alerted local authorities.
When officers arrived on the scene, body-worn camera footage captured Guzman holding the knife directly against the young boy. Officers repeatedly ordered her to drop the weapon, but she refused to comply. Before the two responding officers opened fire, Guzman sliced the boy across the cheek, leaving a visible wound that required medical attention. Guzman was pronounced dead at the scene by first responders, while the young child was transported to a local hospital for treatment of injuries that medical officials confirmed were not life-threatening.
The child’s parents, Sara Hillman and Casey Hillman, spoke publicly about the traumatic ordeal in an interview with CBS, the BBC’s US partner network. “I almost lost him,” Sara Hillman said, describing the lingering shock of the random attack. She added that she has repeatedly replayed the incident in her head, asking herself what could have happened if police had not arrived in time. Casey Hillman issued a urgent plea to other parents to remain vigilant in public spaces, urging them to keep a close eye on their children at all times. “Hold your kids tight, because you never know how it can turn out,” he said. “Pay attention to what’s going on around you.” The couple also shared that their son, who typically loves playing outside, was too frightened to leave the family home the day after the attack, a sign of the emotional trauma the incident has left.
Public records have since revealed that Guzman had a long documented history of mental illness and violent offenses prior to Tuesday’s attack. In 2024, a woman matching Guzman’s name and description was arrested on charges of attempted arson and assault with a deadly weapon after she allegedly started a fire inside a private residence and injured her father with a knife. Following that incident, she is accused of breaking into a local Catholic church while still armed with a knife, where she destroyed property inside the building, forcing a priest to barricade himself in a locked room to escape harm.
After the 2024 arrest, Guzman was found not responsible for her actions by reason of insanity. Court documents confirm that a judge diagnosed her with schizophrenia and ordered that she remain under continuous court-ordered psychiatric supervision. It is unclear as of this reporting whether Guzman was compliant with her supervision requirements and treatment plan at the time of the Walmart kidnapping attempt.
Local law enforcement has not yet announced any further updates to the investigation, and the two officers who opened fire on Guzman have been placed on standard administrative leave while the shooting undergoes an internal review, a common policy for officer-involved shootings in the United States.