On the morning of June 8, 2023, Rodney Hart-Owens, a 24-year-old Black man, was shot and killed at his workplace in Omaha, Nebraska. The shooting took place at All My Sons Moving & Storage, located near 86th and F Streets. The incident began inside the building and continued into the parking lot. When Omaha Police officers arrived around 7:30 a.m., they found Hart-Owens deceased in front of the business.
According to court testimony from an Omaha police detective, the shooting followed a
verbal exchange between Hart-Owens and his co-worker, Octavian Sanderson. About 20 minutes after the argument, Sanderson retrieved a handgun from his vehicle. He then walked into the office area and shot Hart-Owens, hitting him in the leg. As Hart-Owens ran through the building, Sanderson followed. Surveillance video showed Hart-Owens falling next to a white pickup truck in the back of the business. Sanderson could be seen reloading his weapon, standing over Hart-Owens, and firing about 10 more times.
The investigation revealed a history of conflict between the two men. Co-workers told police that about a month before the killing, Sanderson had pointed a gun at Hart-Owens while they were in a work truck. After that incident, management had separated them to prevent them from working together. The company manager also testified that Sanderson had a history of bringing a gun to work and had been fired at one point, though it was unclear why he had been rehired. Following the shooting, police located Sanderson, then 26, at a residence on South 19th Street and took him into custody.
Sanderson was initially charged with first-degree murder, two counts of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, terroristic threats, use of a weapon to commit a felony, and tampering with evidence. In June 2024, he reached a plea agreement. Sanderson pleaded guilty to the amended charge of second-degree murder, as well as use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony, possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited person, and terroristic threats.
In August 2024, Octavian Sanderson, then 27, was sentenced for the murder of Rodney Hart-Owens. A judge ordered him to serve 77 to 108 years in prison.
