John James Cyza, a 47-year-old man from rural Duncan, Nebraska, was killed in his own home in what became a multi-county police incident. His death on October 23, 2026, was announced by McKown Funeral Home, which scheduled a visitation and vigil for November 1, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial on November 2 at St. Mary's Catholic Church-Pilzno in rural Osceola.
This gathering of his community offered a space for loved ones to mourn a life cut tragically short.
The violence began on the morning of Friday, October 23, when the Polk County 911 center received a call from a person reporting a shooting at a residence in the rural northeastern part of the county. When law enforcement officers arrived at the home, they found John Cyza deceased. He had sustained multiple gunshot wounds. Investigators quickly identified a suspect, 45-year-old Nathan Dohmen of Clarks, Nebraska, who had already fled the scene.
The 911 caller also provided a crucial warning: Dohmen was possibly targeting a second individual. This set off a wider search involving numerous law enforcement agencies. That second person was soon located by officers and confirmed to be safe. The manhunt for Dohmen, however, escalated into a dangerous, moving confrontation across county lines.
The Butler County Sheriff located Dohmen’s vehicle on a rural road. As the sheriff approached to investigate, Dohmen opened fire with a rifle. The sheriff was not hit, and Dohmen sped away. After this encounter, Dohmen drove to the nearby town of Bellwood, where he stopped at a store and stole a case of beer before continuing his flight.
The Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) took up the chase, using a helicopter and ground units to track Dohmen’s vehicle. After a brief pursuit, Dohmen pulled into a farmhouse driveway northeast of David City, near 37 Road and O Road. There, he once again fired at law enforcement officers. This time, state troopers returned fire, striking Dohmen. He was pronounced deceased at the scene. No troopers or the resident of the farmhouse were injured during the exchange.
In the aftermath, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office requested that the Nebraska State Patrol’s Investigative Services Division take the lead on the homicide investigation into John Cyza’s death. Concurrently, the Butler County Attorney asked the NSP’s Special Investigations Unit, with assistance from the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office, to conduct a separate investigation into the trooper-involved shooting that ended Dohmen's life.
As of late October 2026, both investigations remained ongoing. Colonel Bryan Waugh, Superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol, commented on the events, stating, “This incident is a strong reminder of the dangers our troopers face in protecting the people of Nebraska.” He praised the professionalism and courage of all law enforcement personnel involved. With the primary suspect in John Cyza’s murder deceased, the case is considered solved, though the motive for the initial shooting has not been released.
