After a man was shot and critically injured in front of a west Omaha house early Friday, his father fired back at the assailant.
Bullets flew, blasting through the walls of a house across the street and narrowly missing a woman's head.
Bryan J. Hall, 30, was shot at least twice in his abdomen while talking with a man on the porch of the house where Hall lives with his father and grandmother.
Hall was rushed to Creighton University Medical Center with critical injuries, though it appeared he would survive, Omaha Police Sgt. Pam Volk said. He had at least two wounds to his abdomen.
The shooting was reported at 12:06 a.m. at 1605 S. 168th Ave., in the Rose Garden Estates subdivision.
After Hall was shot, his father, Richard Hall, then fired off some .22 caliber rounds from a rifle at the assailant as he ran off, Volk said, but there were "no indications that he hit the suspect."
A number of rounds hit a house across the street. One missed Jennifer Hiner's head by just over a foot.
The Hiners had relatives in from out of town and were playing cards when shots started slamming through their home.
Jennifer Hiner was upstairs, bent over by the master bedroom closet getting a blow-up bed ready for some of the children in the home.
"We were playing cards and all of sudden everyone is on the floor and bullets are flying through the house," said Fred Hiner.
Hiner ran outside and saw a dirty white or tan Honda parked up the street tear off. The car, possibly a Civic, had a loud muffler and roared off north on 168th Avenue.
Volk said there appeared to be at least one other person in the car.
According to Lt. Darci Tierney, a police spokeswoman, Hall was talking with a man on the front step who reportedly said he was having car trouble and needed help. Eventually, Hall told the man that he needed to get to bed. That's when the man shot Hall.
Hall's father, Richard Hall, had retrieved his .22 rifle earlier because he was suspicious of what the man truly wanted. When Richard saw the suspect pull a gun, he fired the rifle at the suspect. It is unknown if the suspect was hit.
Police did not know motive early Friday morning and there had been no arrests. Tierney said the investigation is continuing and police are trying to determine the connection between the shooter and victim.
Richard Hall was not arrested or cited in connection with the shots he fired. The Douglas County Attorney will determine whether charges are warranted.
Fred Hiner, 38, said the bullet holes in his house are a reminder that violence happens all over the city.
"I don't even own a gun but now I'm thinking about buying one and getting registered and learning how to use one properly to protect my family," Hiner said.
Hiner said he isn't angry with Richard Hall for the bullets that hit the Hiner home. "I can only imagine someone shooting at my son. The anxiety we felt and we didn't see our son shot. We have complete compassion and are praying for the family," Hiner said.
La Vista police pulled over a Honda matching the description of the vehicle in the shooting about 12:40 a.m. near 81st Street and Park View Boulevard about 12:40 a.m. The driver ran and no arrests were made but a .12 gauge shotgun was found in the back seat.
Copyright ©2012 Omaha World-Herald®. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, displayed or redistributed for any purpose without permission from the Omaha World-Herald.
