At 4:35 p.m. multiple 911 calls came into Southeast Communications Center reporting an active shooter at 1225 Crestline Drive.
The Crete Police Department, Saline County Sheriff, Nebraska State Patrol and Nebraska Games and Parks responded to the scene. The scene involved two houses facing each other across the drive, one of which was the residence of the lone shooter and the other of the gunshot victims.
A total of six people, including three adults and three children, were shot in addition to the shooter who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. With the exception of the shooter, all are expected to survive their injuries.
Around 6 p.m. the NSP issued a public safety warning that at least five people were shot within the property. Local businesses and Doane University went into a lockdown status.
The area was under helicopter surveillance and multiple armored vehicles and SWAT team members helped to secure the scene. Shortly after the second armored vehicle arrived around 6:44 p.m. a loud pop was heard and the door to the shooter’s house was breached.
Rescue services from Crete, Dorchester, Wilber, Pleasant Dale and Southwest volunteer fire and rescue departments responded to the 911 calls.
“We have six to seven people that are trained on a rescue task force to go into an active shooter situation,” said Tod Allen, chief of the Crete Volunteer Fire Department. “They were asked to go into the property to confirm the deceased. We were ready and dressed out to help if there were still patients in the warm zone. We were as ready as we could be for something like that.”
Both Crete Area Medical Center and area Lincoln hospitals were on mass casualty alert. Initially, the shooting victims were promptly transferred to the Crete Area Medical Center after being evacuated out of the rear of the property. After addressing immediate injuries, some patients were transferred to hospitals in Lincoln and Omaha for further care. Interviews are being conducted with the victims as part of the investigation.
At 7:45 p.m. a press conference was given by NSP captain Sean Caradori, Crete chief of police Gary Young, Jr. and Saline County Sheriff Alan Moore.
“Our hearts are with the victims of the shooting and the community of Crete. This is an active investigation,” Caradori said. “We are working to identify all the people involved in the incident, their relationship, history and motive for the incident. We are beginning the work to understand all that occurred here today. Working to determine the number of rounds fired.”
“This is unusual for the Crete area. I have been here for 38 years and fortunately this is the first that it has happened but unfortunately it happened,” Young said.
Updates will be made as this story develops.
