Cop Killed Day Before Maternity Leave Was to Start

Kerrie Orozco should have been starting her maternity leave today. Instead, her family is mourning her death; the Omaha police officer was shot yesterday while serving an arrest warrant and died at a hospital, NBC News reports. The suspect, 26-year-old Marcus Wheeler, was wanted for another shooting in Omaha last year; he also died after being shot by police, the Omaha World-Herald reports. Orozco, 29, gave birth to premature daughter Olivia Ruth on Feb. 17, and the little girl was finally scheduled to leave the hospital today. Orozco is also survived by husband Hector and two stepchildren, ages 8 and 6.

Orozco was a seven-year veteran of the department and worked on the gang task force. "She was a tremendous officer, an even better person," Police Chief Todd Schmaderer said yesterday at a press conference before going on to note Orozco's work with the Special Olympics, Boys & Girls Club, Girl Scouts, and rescue dogs. "She was a friend, a popular officer, a top-notch person, and I just can’t imagine that this has even happened." (More police shooting stories.)