Police shoot woman after Walmart kidnapping and stabbing of child

A routine morning at a Walmart on 72nd and Pine Streets in central Omaha turned into a fast-moving crisis that put a child in surgery, sent police gunfire into a store parking lot, and left managers facing the hard questions that follow extreme violence inside a retail space.

Omaha police identified the woman as 31-year-old Noemi Guzman. Investigators said she shoplifted a large kitchen knife from the store, then approached a 3-year-old boy who was inside with a guardian or caregiver. Police said Guzman forced the caregiver to walk ahead as she pushed the child in a shopping cart toward the Walmart parking lot.

Officers were dispatched at about 9:13 a.m. on April 14 and arrived roughly seven minutes later, around 9:20 a.m. When they reached the scene, police said Guzman was holding the knife to the child. Body-camera video released later showed the confrontation moments before the stabbing, and police said she ignored commands to drop the weapon.

Police said Guzman swiped the knife and cut the boy across the face. At least one officer fired, and investigators are still reviewing how many shots were fired and whether both officers discharged their weapons. Omaha police said no officers were injured.

The child suffered injuries to his face and hands, was taken to Children's Hospital for surgery, and was expected to survive. Police said he was reunited with his guardian after the attack.

For Walmart employees and store leaders, the incident is a reminder that a store can become a trauma scene in seconds, before anyone on the floor has time to process what is happening. The immediate workplace questions are blunt: how a knife left the sales floor and was used in the attack, how staff should respond when a threat moves from aisle to parking lot, and how quickly a site can be secured once officers arrive.

Walmart said violence like this is unacceptable and said it was working with police. The Nebraska State Patrol and the Sarpy County Sheriff's Office are helping review security footage and body-worn camera video as investigators reconstruct the timeline and try to determine why Guzman targeted the child. Police said there was no indication she knew the child or caregiver and described the attack as appearing random.

That randomness is what makes the case so unsettling for workers and customers alike. In a big-box store, the difference between an ordinary shift and a life-altering emergency can be only a few minutes, and what happens next depends on security response, police coordination, and how seriously management treats the aftermath for everyone inside.