An illegal alien armed suspect wounded four Omaha officers during a gas station shootout after allegedly firing on a 61-year-old man in an earlier, unprovoked attack, according to Nebraska authorities. Police identified the gunman as 28-year-old Salvadoran national Juan Melgar-Ayala, described as “a convicted felon in our country illegally from El Salvador,” Gov. Jim Pillen said Friday.
Officials said Melgar-Ayala first shot Michael Kasper at Phil’s Foodway, striking him multiple times as Kasper grabbed a shopping cart. Investigators recovered 15 shell casings from the scene, and Kasper remains hospitalized in serious condition. Police reported no known motive or connection between the suspect and the victim. Melgar-Ayala fled before officers located him at a QuikTrip, where he ran into a restroom with a bystander inside.
Authorities said the suspect fired at least 16 rounds, injuring Sgt. Emilio Luna, Detective Brock Rengo, Detective Jordan Brandt, and Detective Christopher Brown. Officers fatally shot Melgar-Ayala after the exchange. “Thank God the OPD officers shot by Melgar-Ayala face non-life-threatening injuries,” Pillen stated. Court records show Melgar-Ayala held prior felony burglary convictions and multiple traffic-related offenses.
Detectives continue investigating how Melgar-Ayala obtained the handgun used in both shootings. The Omaha Police Department said family members reported he suffered from mental health-related issues. Pillen criticized federal border policy, saying, “Sadly, after years of lax Biden-era border security policy, every state is now a border state,” and called the federal detention facility in McCook “an absolute necessity.”
