Revenge act sends one to prison

Talk about a family feud.

Two Omaha brothers were sentenced this week for their roles in the shooting of a longtime family friend who was the father of their sister’s child.

The reason the brothers were mad? They said their pseudo brother-in-law had assaulted their mother and one of them.

That led to one of the stranger renditions of “Oh, brother, where art thou?” in a Douglas County courtroom this week. A variation that included one brother watching the other go to prison. A variation that featured an attorney quoting from the Kenny Rogers’ song, “Coward of the County.”

A variation that could be boiled down to a simple “Oh, brother.”

Here’s how the crime played out, according to prosecutors and defense attorneys:

Earlier this year, brothers Kameron and Christopher Hoffmann accused longtime family friend Tab Harlan — their sister’s “baby daddy” — of assaulting their mother.

In early April, Harlan then sucker-punched Kameron Hoffmann, jumping him from behind. In the process, Kameron Hoffmann dislocated his shoulder.

Kameron, 21, and Christopher, 25, were bent on revenge.

Word got back to Harlan. Harlan, 24, told Christopher he was willing to settle matters on the streets, with a good old-fashioned fistfight.

Then somebody brought a gun to the fistfight.

About 1 a.m. April 11, the brothers met their sort-of-brother-in-law at 33rd and California Streets. Words and fists flew. Kameron Hoffmann hit Harlan with a brick. Christopher Hoffmann hit Harlan with a beer bottle. Harlan hit back with his fists.

And then a third person — who was not a relative — hit Harlan even harder: A gunman got out of the Hoffmanns’ car and opened fire on Harlan, hitting him in the head. The Hoffmann brothers and the shooter took off, leaving Harlan in the street with a bullet wound to his head.

All three eventually were arrested. The brothers were charged with second-degree assault. Prosecutors have accused their friend, Christopher L. Underwood, of being the shooter — and have charged him with first-degree assault and weapon use.

Mikki Jerabek, Kameron Hoffmann’s public defender, said her client had no idea that anyone would do anything but fight.

“This is a situation where they treated it like it was the wild, wild West,” Jerabek said.

Christopher Hoffmann’s attorney, Michael J. Fitzpatrick, agreed. Fitzpatrick said “99 out of 100” guys would have done the same as the Hoffmanns and challenged Harlan to a fight over the allegations that he had assaulted their mother.

“It’s kind of like that Kenny Rogers song, ‘Coward of the County,’” Fitzpatrick said. “Sometimes you’ve got to fight when you’re a man.”

Both Hoffmanns denied knowing that the fistfight would end with a gunshot. And both said they drove away — leaving Harlan bleeding in the street — because they panicked.

Douglas County District Judge Greg Schatz was less than impressed with the brothers’ vigilante act.

The judge said the only reason he was giving Kameron three years of probation — instead of prison — was that Kameron had no record.

“You need to understand you’re at the same place your brother (Christopher) was a few years ago,” Schatz said. “He had his chances at probation. And today, he’s going to pay the price.”

Sitting in the courtroom just 10 feet away, Christopher lowered his chin and swallowed hard. His attorney, Fitzpatrick, urged the judge to reconsider — pointing out the anger-management and conflict-resolution classes that Christopher had taken.

Schatz would have none of it. The judge noted that Christopher Hoffmann failed two prior probations, including one for a drug offense. The judge sentenced Christopher to five years in prison — the maximum term for second-degree assault.

Then the two brothers parted — nodding at each other as they passed. One was off to the probation office to begin serving his term; the other to prison.

Harlan, meanwhile, is lucky to be alive. Prosecutor Emily Beller, a deputy Douglas County attorney, said Harlan spent two weeks in the hospital. The bullet entered his head near his ear and exited his neck, somehow bypassing his brain. Beller said Harlan suffered some hearing damage.

“These three grew up together,” Beller said of Harlan and the Hoffmanns. “Tab said (fighting) was pretty much how they always settled their beefs. He certainly never expected anyone to have a weapon that night.

“It’s amazing he didn’t die.”

Contact the writer:

444-1275, todd.cooper@owh.com

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