Crime
Bettye Mae Jack Middle School Lifts Lockdown After TikTok Video Threat of School Shooting
Similar threats have been reported at multiple schools across the nation this week.
Bettye Mae Jack Middle School was placed on lockdown on Tuesday, September 10th, after students alerted school officials to a TikTok video containing a school shooting threat directed at the school.
Law enforcement agencies were immediately notified and responded to the scene to investigate the threat.
While no credible threat has been identified at this time, the school will maintain an increased law enforcement presence on campus for the remainder of the week to ensure the safety and security of students and staff.
Similar threats have been reported at multiple schools across the nation this week.
Bettye Mae Jack Middle School will thoroughly investigate each and every threat to protect the well-being of its students and staff.
The school would like to commend the students for bringing this information to the attention of school personnel. Their quick action, combined with the swift response of school staff, administration, and law enforcement, ensured the safety of students and staff on Tuesday and should be recognized.
Crime
Eric Bechtolt Killed After Shooting at Florence Tower in Omaha, Suspect Billy Dorrall Arrested
Omaha, NE – On Sunday evening, Omaha Police Department officers responded to an active shooting at Florence Tower, located at 5100 Florence Blvd, following multiple 911 calls reporting gunfire inside the building.
The first reports were received at 6:05 p.m., with at least three separate callers stating they had heard shots fired on the fifth or sixth floor of the apartment complex.
By 6:14 p.m., a fourth caller reported seeing a male suspect walking on the sixth floor carrying two handguns.
Uniform Patrol officers arrived on scene at 6:11 p.m. and began a floor-by-floor search of the building, starting from the fifth floor.
As officers ascended the south stairwell toward the sixth floor, they heard sounds of a disturbance.
Just as they neared the sixth-floor door, it was abruptly opened by a male suspect — later identified as 50-year-old Billy A. Dorrall.
At that moment, one officer discharged their service weapon, striking Dorrall in the left hip.
In response, Dorrall fired back down the stairwell and then retreated into the sixth-floor hallway.
Once back in the hallway, Dorrall reportedly fired multiple rounds, aiming both up and down the corridor, and threatened several residents at gunpoint.
A coordinated arrest team, equipped with a ballistic shield, moved into position while officers in the stairwell maintained containment. As they prepared to enter the hallway, officers heard additional gunfire.
The arrest team entered the hallway, issued loud verbal commands, and Dorrall surrendered without further incident.
He was immediately provided medical treatment by Omaha Fire Department personnel and transported to Nebraska Medicine, where he was treated for a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. He has since been released into police custody.
During the investigation, officers recovered surveillance footage from building cameras, which was provided by the Omaha Housing Authority.
The footage shows Dorrall behaving erratically and confronting residents before engaging in a verbal altercation with another tenant, identified as 45-year-old Eric M. Bechtolt.
The video shows Dorrall returning to his apartment, retrieving a firearm, and shooting Bechtolt multiple times in the hallway. Responding officers later found Bechtolt deceased outside the stairwell door.
Dorrall was interviewed by detectives and provided a full confession, admitting to the murder of Bechtolt.
He also expressed an intent to kill additional residents and responding officers had he not been stopped.
Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer issued a statement commending the officers involved:
“I want to commend the officers who responded to this incredibly dangerous situation. Their training, courage, and swift response undoubtedly prevented further loss of life. What unfolded at Florence Tower was tragic, and our thoughts and condolences are with the family and loved ones of Mr. Bechtolt. Our officers acted heroically under extreme pressure, and I am proud of their commitment to protecting the residents of Omaha.”
The department has released still images from surveillance footage, showing Dorrall armed with two handguns, along with crime scene photographs of the weapons, ammunition, and spent shell casings recovered from the scene.
The investigation remains ongoing.