In the early hours of September 8, 2024, a visit filled with family celebration turned into a tragedy for Saiveon Mytiest Hopkins, a 24-year-old Black/African American male. Hopkins had traveled from his home in California to Lincoln, Nebraska, to attend a family member's birthday party. A devoted father to a 10-month-old daughter, he was also a caregiver for his terminally ill mother and his siblings.
His weekend, meant for joyous reunion, was cut short by a sudden and violent act.
Shortly after 1:00 a.m. in downtown Lincoln, near 11th and O Streets, a series of fights and disturbances broke out. While Hopkins was in the area, he was reportedly not directly involved in the initial altercations. Accounts from his family suggest he was attempting to protect his cousin when the situation escalated. Amidst the chaos, another man, Gregory Bahadi, who had been in a minor fight, allegedly turned and pointed toward Hopkins and yelled, "Shoot him!". It was then that a man standing behind Hopkins, identified as Cavon Wright, produced a gun and fired at least two shots. Hopkins was struck, and despite being rushed to a hospital, he succumbed to his injuries. A second man, in his forties, was also wounded in the shooting but survived with non-life-threatening injuries.
The investigation that followed the shooting led Lincoln Police to two suspects from Omaha. Through video evidence and witness interviews, authorities pieced together the events of that fatal morning. Investigators say that after the shooting, Wright fled the scene in a black Honda Pilot that belonged to a family member of Bahadi. On October 16, 2024, law enforcement arrested 23-year-old Cavon Wright and 30-year-old Gregory Bahadi. Wright faces charges of first-degree murder, use of a firearm to commit a felony, and two counts of second-degree assault. Bahadi was charged with aiding and abetting first-degree murder and other related charges. Both men were subsequently held without bond.
