Three Omaha men were in police custody after two other men were fatally wounded Saturday in separate shootings.
Anthony J. Carter, 47, and Matthew M. Voss, 34, both of Omaha, have been identified as the homicide victims. Voss was fatally wounded about 3:30 a.m. near 16th and Harney Streets. Carter was shot about 10:40 p.m. near 31st Street and Fowler Avenue.
Officer Jacob Bettin, a police spokesman, said Sunday that it doesn't appear the shootings were related.
Carter's mother, Mary Moore of Omaha, said Sunday she was struggling to understand why her son was killed. Moore said she doesn't know Thylun Hill, 32, of Omaha, who was shot by police fleeing the area where Carter's body was found.
In addition to his mother, Carter is survived by four siblings and four children.
“He was a good man,” Moore said. “I don't know why someone would want to shoot him.”
Carter had served two short stints in the Nebraska prison system, for receiving stolen property and possession of a controlled substance.
Moore said her son was born in Omaha and attended Technical High School. He received a high school equivalency certificate after leaving school.
“He was very mechanical, and he always liked fixing cars,” Moore said.
Bettin said officers shot Hill when he grabbed a gun that had fallen as he jumped a fence. Hill was treated at Creighton University Medical Center for a grazed leg. He was being held as a felon in possession of a firearm.
Omaha Police Department policy states that any officer who fires a weapon that results in an injury will be put on paid administrative leave while the shooting is investigated.
Bettin said police found Voss in the street near 1618 Harney St. after they were called to that address for a report of shots fired.
Bettin said a raucous crowd had gathered outside a storefront there that is rented by 3 Times Real Entertainment.
Dion Lawson, who represents 3 Times Real Entertainment, said two parties were held Saturday night inside the business. He said there was a teen party followed by a private after-hours gathering.
“But there was no rowdiness here,” Lawson said. “Whatever happened didn't come from our place. We heard from some people that (Voss) was leaving a bar and someone started shooting.”
Antonio M. Washington, 38, of Omaha also was shot, and was taken to the Nebraska Medical Center. A hospital spokeswoman said Sunday that Washington had been released. Voss and Washington both are felons who have been convicted of drug sales and gun charges, according to Douglas County District Court records.
Joe Gudenrath, executive director of the Omaha Downtown Improvement District, said a private security company employed by the association patrols the area until about 2:45 a.m. Police are called if security personnel see a dangerous situation unfolding.
“We don't want large crowds to gather on the streets and sidewalks, because this is also a neighborhood,” Gudenrath said. “It depends on the business and time of year, but there are occasional problems.”
Tillman T. Henderson, 24, was arrested in the area where Voss and Washington were shot. Henderson was booked for possession of a weapon by a prohibited person, possession of a defaced firearm and possession of a stolen firearm. James G. Garrett, 31, was booked as an accessory to a felony.
Police asked that anyone with information contact Crime Stoppers at 402-444-7867; www.omahacrimestoppers.net; via a text message that begins with the acronym OPD to 274637; or download a Crime Stoppers application on a smartphone by searching “TipSubmit.”
Contact the writer:
402-444-1272, kevin.cole@owh.com
Stay with Omaha.com for more details.
Copyright ©2012 Omaha World-Herald®. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, displayed or redistributed for any purpose without permission from the Omaha World-Herald.
