In the early morning hours of October 29, 2016, the life of 35-year-old Suzanne Pope, a Black/African American female, was tragically cut short in a violent encounter in north Omaha, Nebraska. Officers responded to a call of a shooting near Kansas Avenue and 39th Street at approximately 4:35 a.m. and discovered two victims with gunshot wounds. Pope was pronounced dead shortly after being found.
The second victim, a man who was later identified as her fianc , Curtis Goodwin, was transported to an Omaha hospital for surgery.
The incident began as an apparent robbery, with a gunman forcing his way into their home. In the ensuing events, both Pope and Goodwin were shot. The investigation into the double shooting led Omaha police to identify a suspect.
In January 2017, authorities arrested 31-year-old Tyeric Lessley in connection with the homicide. Lessley, who had been paroled from a Minnesota prison in April 2015 after a previous murder conviction, was charged with first-degree murder, assault, and three weapons-related crimes.
By December 2017, a Douglas County jury found Tyeric Lessley guilty of first-degree murder for the death of Suzanne Pope, as well as four other crimes related to the incident that also left her fianc injured.
