Sam Bradley, 25, a white man from Omaha, was walking with his cousin just after the Fourth of July when gunfire found them on a quiet stretch near North 27th Street and Laurel Avenue. Around 2:45 3:00 a.m. on July 5, 2016, a car rolled up and shots rang out; Bradley was hit while his cousin ran for cover. First responders found him outside with gunshot wounds and rushed him to CHI Health Creighton University Medical Center, where he died.
Neighbors told reporters they first mistook the sharp cracks for leftover holiday fireworks.
Family members and witnesses described the shooting as a drive-by that cut short a night otherwise spent with relatives. Bradley s cousin said they were only steps from a neighbor s house when the vehicle approached and someone opened fire from inside. The killing marked one of Omaha s early-summer homicides that year and left loved ones grasping for answers.
Detectives canvassed the area for shell casings, surveillance footage, and tips, but early indications suggested few solid leads. Police publicly said they believed Bradley may have been targeted at random, and local coverage in the hours after the shooting noted no suspect description beyond a vehicle involved. Authorities asked anyone with information to come forward as the investigation continued.
No arrests were announced in the immediate aftermath, and reporting at the time did not identify any suspects. Listings that compile homicide case details from that period likewise summarize the incident as an unresolved drive-by shooting near 27th and Laurel in the early morning hours of July 5, 2016.
