No charges against Omaha police officer involved in deadly shooting while serving a no-knock warrant

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – Grand jury results are in for 13 cases presented to them by Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine.

On Thursday, the grand jury returned “no true bill” for all of them – including the death of 37-year-old Cameron Ford, who shot and killed by Omaha SWAT officer Adam Vail during a no-knock search warrant in August.

“No true bill” means that the grand jury will not indict him — that the evidence has failed to convince them that there is probable cause to believe the officer committed a crime.

Officer Adam Vail(Omaha Police Department)

After the shooting, Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer said recommended removing the officer from his positionsaying Vail violated department protocol when he issued the order in the early morning hours of Aug. 28.

“The internal affairs process and investigation were comprehensive and thorough. During the investigation, I did not observe or detect any criminal intent by Officer Vail. Nevertheless, I cannot override my determination that there were policy and procedure violations.” Schmaderer said this in a statement in September.

The Omaha Police Officers Association said they supported Vail, claiming the circumstances and nature of the arrest warrant Ford served justified his actions.

“Officer Vail made a split-second decision in an extremely dangerous situation, and we believe he deserves the same fair treatment that every citizen is entitled to,” OPOA President Patrick Dempsey said in September.

The shooting death of Steven Phipps Jr. by Officer Noah Zendejas after a traffic stop – during which Phipps ran and jumped a fence – was not included in the 13 cases brought before this grand jury because the state did not yet have the autopsy report.

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