Comment OMAHA, Nebraska — A police officer shot and wounded a man who drove around barricades and into a crowded Halloween party in Omaha after he ignored the officer’s orders to stop and continued toward the officer, authorities said Tuesday. The shooting happened around 7pm Monday during the annual Halloween party in the Minne Lusa neighborhood, and no one but the driver was injured. It covered a few chaotic seconds in which people ran screaming as the car sped towards the crowd before gunshots rang out. Caitlin Harper was with her young son near an entrance to the party when the car entered the restricted area, she said. “I just saw him drive in front of me and into the crowd, then I got on the phone with 911 and he was gone,” she said. Moments later, after the car had traveled about six blocks, Harper heard gunshots. She grabbed her son, ran to their car and “got out of there.” Authorities had blocked off the area to traffic to allow revelers and their families to roam the streets safely. Police said the driver, later identified as 31-year-old Dontavius Levering, drove around the barricades and recklessly traveled the wrong way without headlights on Minne Lusa Avenue through crowds of people, including a crowd of children. Grainy video of the doorbell posted online shows the car easing through the crowd and then speeding off. It is not clear if he intended to harm anyone. An officer, later identified as Bryson Blandford, was already at the scene handing out candy when the car went around the barriers, police said. Blandford ran into the street in front of Levering’s car, raised his hand and yelled for Levering to stop, but Levering drove toward the officer and the crowd behind him, prompting Blandford to shoot him, police said. Levering was taken to hospital in critical condition but is expected to survive. Police did not immediately respond to questions about a motive or whether investigators were able to speak with Levering after the shooting. A search of court records shows Levering has a long history of mostly misdemeanor crimes in Omaha dating back to his teenage years, including about a dozen traffic-related charges for driving while license suspended, driving without proof of insurance and failure to appear for some of these charges. A warrant was issued for his arrest last month when he failed to appear in court on a misdemeanor charge of not having proof of insurance to drive. Police said Blandford — a four-year veteran of the force — has been placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard whenever officers shoot someone. Police said the collision and shooting were captured on the officer’s body camera, and the Nebraska State Patrol and Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office are assisting in the investigation.
