In an emotional hearing Wednesday, an Omaha man was sentenced to five years of probation for taking a gun from his friend, who is charged with murder, following a shooting last year.
Tyvel Lampkin-Davis, 28, appeared in a packed courtroom Wednesday to be sentenced by Douglas County District Court Judge Russell Bowie. He is one of three men charged in relation to a shooting at a birthday party last November that killed 20-year-old Karly Wood and left eight others — including himself — injured.
Lampkin-Davis pleaded no contest in July to two felonies: possessing a firearm on school grounds and accessory to a felony. He admitted to taking a gun from Imhotep Davis, who is charged with Wood’s murder, after the shooting in an apparent attempt to protect his friend.
Lampkin-Davis was not accused of being one of the shooters.
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As Bowie announced the sentence, the room erupted with gasps of disbelief from Wood’s family and tears of joy from Lampkin-Davis’ side of the courtroom. Bowie made no comment on his rationale.
“I’m not quite sure how to feel right now,†Amber Wood, Karly’s mother, said after the sentencing. “Everything is a whirlwind. I’m just disappointed that there was no set consequence to sit down and really think about Karly and the impact his actions had on her and us.â€
Lampkin-Davis, who has been out on bail since January, gave a tearful statement to the court before being sentenced. He spoke about his desire to raise his young son “the right way†and repeatedly apologized to Wood's family.
His attorney, Keith Dornan, implored Bowie not to punish Lampkin-Davis for the actions of the multiple shooters who fired at least 24 bullets into the party. He characterized Lampkin-Davis’ decision to take the gun from Davis as a “criminal mistake†done to protect his childhood friend in a moment of high adrenaline.
Wood’s family and prosecutors expressed dismay that Lampkin-Davis has not been forthcoming with police about what he saw at the party that night. Dornan said this is because Lampkin-Davis was both highly intoxicated and in shock because he had been shot in the collarbone.
“He was very intoxicated,†Dornan said. “He had been shot, almost fatally. And he just doesn’t have a good memory of what happened in that room.â€
According to arrest affidavits and other court documents, shots rang out at a birthday party held at a multipurpose building near 33rd Street and Ames Avenue shortly after 4 a.m. on Nov. 13, 2022. In total, nine people were shot. Karly had been shot eight times and was pronounced deceased shortly after arriving at the Nebraska Medical Center.
Shell casings and bullets recovered from the home revealed that four different guns were fired during the shooting. Only two people accused of firing shots — Davis, and Kiwan Dampeer, who is accused of firing into the building from a nearby parking lot — have been charged.
Security video from nearby Skinner Elementary School showed Davis running from the party to the school’s parking lot, where many partygoers had parked, after the shooting. Davis handed a firearm to Lampkin-Davis, who then placed the gun inside his Chevrolet Malibu.
Davis and Lampkin-Davis, who had both been shot, were transported by private vehicles to different hospitals. After securing a search warrant, police searched the Chevrolet Malibu and located a Glock 19 in the car’s center console.
A total of 24 shell casings were found inside the building where the shooting occurred. Fourteen were determined to have come from the gun found in Lampkin-Davis’ car. In addition, two bullets recovered from Wood’s body were determined to come from the same gun.
When interviewed by police, Lampkin-Davis said he had found the gun on the floor after he was shot. He then told police that he didn’t know how the gun got into his car, but admitted to taking it from Davis after being confronted with video evidence.
Lampkin-Davis is the first of the three men charged to be sentenced in the case. Dampeer was recently found guilty of four felonies, including shooting into an occupied building, and is scheduled to be sentenced in November.
Davis, who is accused of second-degree murder and five other felonies, intends to take his case to trial. Jury selection is scheduled to begin on Nov. 13 — exactly one year after the shooting.