Teen who shot, killed Omaha man to remain in custody for 6 more months

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – A teenage killer who state authorities said was ready to be released to his parents will now spend another six months in custody.

The case stems from the actions of a 13-year-old shooter in August 2022. He broke into a home near 52nd and Curtis and pointed a gun at Alon Reed's mother before shooting 10 times at Reed in the head.

Reed was only 19 years old.

Earlier this year, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services determined that the 15-year-old successfully completed his individualized treatment plan in Lincoln within seven months. They contend there was no other program available to him.

State officials said it was time to release him to his parents and have them monitor his movements and friends, while keeping him away from gangs and social media. But that recommendation faced strong objections from the Douglas County prosecutor, as well as some community organizations.

“It’s a slap in the face to the community after only seven months,” Tamika Mease of the North Omaha Community Partnership told 6 News in April. “It makes our community less safe.”

In juvenile court Monday, DHHS attorneys, who argued in April that their experts had exhausted all in-house treatment programs, told Judge Mary Stevens that the team has now developed two new programs for him .

One of them is called MRT, or moral recognition therapy, which is an evidence-based treatment aimed at improving moral reasoning and decision-making through a step-by-step strategy. Once this step is completed, the adolescent would participate in the Sources of Energy program, which, based on online descriptions, is an evidence-based manual to help high-risk adolescents better understand emotions and beliefs which motivate their criminal behavior.

The teen's lawyer says his client has been depressed and less outgoing since the last hearing, when he was about to go home.

The next hearing is scheduled for November. If the two new treatment programs are completed early by the teen, the state could issue a release order, which would then give the county attorney 60 days to object.

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