A 24-year-old man pleaded guilty Tuesday to shooting a police officer in the face and head at Westroads Mall in 2021 as the officer attempted to arrest him for shoplifting.
Kenya Jenkins will face up to 100 years in prison when he is sentenced in May for the shooting of Omaha Police Officer Jeffrey Wittstruck. Wittstruck , including in the face and top of his head, but survived his injuries.
Jenkins pleaded guilty Tuesday to first-degree assault on an officer and use of a firearm to commit a felony. In exchange, prosecutors dismissed three additional felony charges: Operating a motor vehicle to avoid arrest, possessing a stolen firearm and theft by receiving stolen property.
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At a preliminary hearing held shortly after his arrest, detectives testified that Jenkins had been stopped by a loss prevention officer after he attempted to shoplift a pack of T-shirts from J.C. Penney at Westroads Mall on March 12, 2021. Wittstruck and his partner, Officer Joseph Kunza, responded to the mall to arrest Jenkins, though Wittstruck went into the mall alone.
As Wittstruck attempted to place Jenkins in handcuffs, a struggle ensued, resulting in Wittstruck firing his Taser at Jenkins. After another scuffle, Jenkins pulled a handgun from his sweatshirt pocket and fired four shots, hitting Wittstruck in the face and neck.
Despite his serious injuries, Wittstruck was able to call for help as Jenkins fled from the mall.
“I’m down, I need help,†Wittstruck said on his radio. “I’m in the loss prevention office.â€
Jenkins ran out of the mall and fled in a stolen BMW. He led police on a high-speed chase, reaching speeds of more than 140 mph and ending in Lincoln about two hours after the shooting.
Jenkins has a registered address in Gary, Indiana, according to court documents. A public defender he attended high school in Chicago, and an Illinois identification card was found in his car. He had no criminal history in Nebraska prior to the shooting.
In August 2022, Jenkins’ defense attorneys filed a motion for a competency evaluation. Jenkins was committed to the Lincoln Regional Center, where doctors said in November 2022 he was incompetent to stand trial, but it was likely he could be “restored to competency†in the future.
In November 2023, Jenkins was considered by the Lincoln Regional Center to be competent and able to stand trial. In January, defense attorneys for Jenkins requested a separate evaluation to determine whether he was sane at the time of the shooting, though it’s unclear in court documents if that evaluation was completed prior to Tuesday’s plea agreement.
When Jenkins is sentenced in May, he will face a maximum of 50 years in prison on each count. The assault charge carries a mandatory minimum of five years in prison, and the weapons charge carries a minimum of three years.