On a cold December night in 2014, Jermaine Richey, a 28-year-old Black / African American male from Omaha, Nebraska, was caught in a hail of gunfire that would ultimately end his life. The shooting occurred on December 21st near 30th and Meredith Avenue. Richey was in a car with three other people when a man armed with an assault rifle opened fire, firing approximately 30 shots into the vehicle.
Richey was critically wounded in the attack and rushed to the hospital, where he remained on
life support for weeks. His family kept a constant vigil by his side, through Christmas and the New Year, hoping for a recovery that would never come. Richey succumbed to his injuries in early January 2015. His mother remembered him as a loving father who had been working long hours to provide for his family and had been trying to distance himself from a past that included involvement with street gangs.
The shooting also claimed the life of 27-year-old Derek Johnson, who died at the scene. A third man in the car was also injured but survived the ordeal. The entire incident was captured by security cameras in the north Omaha neighborhood, providing crucial evidence for investigators.
The investigation led to the arrest of Harold Baker. In July 2016, a jury found the 22-year-old guilty of two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Richey and Johnson. He was also convicted on two counts of attempted murder and four weapons charges. The chilling security footage was presented in court, showing Baker pulling out an AR-15 rifle and unloading a barrage of bullets into the car. Baker was subsequently sentenced to a mandatory life in prison.
