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The mother of an 18-year-old Omaha man who was fatally shot outside a restaurant near 24th and P Streets tearfully requested Sunday that no retaliations occur.
Maxwell M. Griffy was wounded outside of El Dorado Pizza at 5134 S. 24th St. Saturday about 11 p.m., according to an Omaha Police Department spokesman.
Officer Jacob Bettin said Griffy was taken to Creighton University Medical Center, where he died in surgery. Police had responded to the scene to quell a large disturbance that had escalated into a shooting.
Bettin said police have not made any arrests in what is the city’s 10th homicide. At this time last year, Omaha had 23 homicides.
A man who answered the phone at El Dorado Pizza on Sunday said the restaurant is sometimes rented out on weekends to a DJ for dances. He said that was the case Saturday night.
Griffy’s mother, Rochelle Holland, said her son had gone with friends and family members to the El Dorado to “hang out” after celebrating the Fourth of July at the homes of several relatives.
“When they got to the club, there was some kind of disturbance. Some guys were being escorted out when all of a sudden (Griffy’s group) heard gun shots,” Holland said while sitting on her porch near 36th and Ames Avenues. “It was just that quick and my son was shot.”
Griffy’s death comes almost two years after the shooting death of his father, Creighton Greene. Greene, 35, was shot at his northeast Omaha home Aug. 28, 2007.
In April, Tony Berry, a 27-year-old Florida man, pleaded no contest to reduced charges of manslaughter and gun use in that killing. On June 23, Berry was sentenced to six to 12-years — a term that is cut in half under state sentencing guidelines.
Holland said she wanted her son to be remembered as “a good young man who was loved by many people” and was on track to graduate from Northwest High School next spring.
“I need for people to know that I don’t want any retaliation,” Holland said softly as she clutched a cell phone that rang every few minutes with condolence calls. “I don’t want anyone trying to find out who did this or getting even with who they think might have done this.
“I would rather they call me and find out what we are doing that’s positive because we’re going to need some fundraisers to get money to bury my son.”
Holland said her son came from a very large family and, until recently, had worked with her at a McDonald’s restaurant. He also loved sports, she said, especially wrestling and basketball.
Steve Eubanks, an assistant principal at Northwest, said Griffy competed on the varsity wrestling team.
“Maxwell was a nice young man and really good kid,” Eubanks said. “I had very good, very positive dealings with him at school. I am so sorry to hear about this.”
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 444-STOP or the police homicide unit at 444-5656.
Contact the writer:
444-1272, kevin.cole@owh.com
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