OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - A man has been convicted in the Omaha road-rage killing of a U.S. Army veteran who served in Iraq.
Douglas County jurors found Michael Benson, 26, guilty of second-degree murder Wednesday in the 2017 shooting death of James Womack, the Omaha World-Herald reported. Benson also was convicted on weapons and witness-tampering charges. He faces up to 28 years in prison when sentenced in May.
The shooting occurred at a busy Omaha intersection after Womack, 32, got out of his semitrailer and confronted Benson by yelling and pounding on the window of his truck. Witnesses testified that they heard gunshots and saw Womack fall to the ground. Womack later died at a hospital.
Omaha Detective Ryan Davis was one of the first officers to arrive at the scene. He said the road-rage shooting “was definitely stupid.”
“This guy was a working guy, he’s a dad, he’s a military veteran, and this is how he dies?” Davis said. “Senseless, just completely senseless.”
Womack served three tours in Iraq before he moved to Omaha with his wife to raise their three children.
His wife, Ivonne Womack, raised concerns about how Benson, who has a felony conviction, was able to get a pistol.
“It seems like anyone can have a gun hiding - it’s just ridiculous,” she said. “It makes no sense that people feel so comfortable to carry a gun and if something happens, it’s OK - just shoot.”
Ivonne Womack said the family doesn’t plan to let the shooting drive them from the area.
“This is the place that we chose to raise our family,” she said. “That was our dream. And I don’t want to change anything.”
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Information from: Omaha World-Herald, http://www.omaha.com
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