In the early morning hours of Sunday, September 19, 2021, the story of Craig Wiech, a 55-year-old Caucasian male and former Bellevue police officer, came to a tragic end. He was discovered outside an apartment in Omaha, Nebraska, having died from what authorities reported as an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. His death came just a day before he was set to face trial for a series of events that began three years prior, following the death of his girlfriend.
The incident that
precipitated Wiech's legal troubles occurred in August 2018. On that day, first responders arrived at the home he shared with his girlfriend, Carrie A. Brown, to find her deceased from a gunshot wound. Wiech, who had been with the Bellevue Police Department for over two decades, was present at the scene. According to reports, he was combative, uncooperative, and appeared to be intoxicated.
His behavior at the scene led to his arrest. Authorities alleged that Wiech had swung at a firefighter, punched a firetruck, and struck an Omaha police officer in the chest. While he was not charged in connection with Brown's death, his actions on that day resulted in felony charges of assaulting an officer and a firefighter, as well as evidence tampering. Following these charges, Wiech was placed on administrative leave and ultimately resigned from the police force in 2019, ending a career that had spanned more than 22 years. There were no suspects or arrests made in relation to Wiech's death, as it was determined to be self-inflicted.
