George R. Combs, 42, a Black male from Omaha, was shot in the middle of an otherwise ordinary Thursday afternoon on January 12, 2012. Near 35th and Dodge Streets, neighbors heard two gunshots and saw him lying on the ground around 3 p.m.; he was rushed to the hospital in extremely critical condition and later died. Authorities identified him as George R. Combs and noted he also went by the name Alexis Combs.
The scene school buses rolling by, residents stunned behind crime tape underscored how sudden the violence felt in midtown that day.
Police quickly began investigating while family and friends absorbed the loss. Public records later confirmed his full name and dates George Ryan Combs, born June 17, 1969, died January 12, 2012 appearing in the Omaha World-Herald obituary pages the following week.
Within days, officers arrested a 19-year-old relative, Terrill Mapp, on suspicion of criminal homicide in Combs s death. But prosecutors soon announced they did not have enough evidence to proceed; Mapp was released from the Douglas County Jail without charges on January 17, 2012. Reports at the time did not establish a definitive motive, and authorities had not identified a charged suspect for the shooting.
