three-year-old boy named Cyler is recovering in an Omaha hospital following a terrifying abduction and assault in a Walmart parking lot.
His father, Casey Hillman, is now opening up about his son’s incredible bravery and the haunting question the toddler asked from his hospital bed after surviving the ordeal.
The violence erupted on the morning of Tuesday, April 14, when Omaha Police were called to the retail giant’s parking lot. According to a department statement, 31-year-old Noemi Guzman had seized the child while wielding a large kitchen knife she had just stolen from the store’s shelves.
Surveillance footage captured the harrowing moments inside, where Guzman allegedly brandished the weapon and forced the boy’s guardian to walk ahead of the shopping cart while the toddler remained trapped inside.
When officers arrived, the situation escalated quickly. Police reported that Guzman made multiple threats and ignored repeated commands to drop the knife. When she turned the blade on the boy, two patrol officers opened fire.
“Ms. Guzman refused to drop the weapon and cut the boy,” the police statement read. “The officers fired their service weapons, striking her.”
In the chaos that followed, the child’s guardian and a bystander rushed to pull Cyler from the cart to begin emergency aid. While officers attempted to save Guzman, she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer backed his team’s split-second decision-making, stating that the officers acted with “professionalism and direct action” to save the child’s life. While Cyler is expected to recover physically, his father’s account of the boy’s resilience and his heartbreaking request for clarity from his hospital bed serves as a somber reminder of the trauma left behind.
31-year-old Noemi Guzman was shot dead by police after attacking 3-year-old Cyler with a knife in a Walmart parking lot in Omaha, Nebraska. The boy’s father, Casey Hillman, has since spoken out about his son’s bravery during the attack, also sharing the heartbreaking question he asked at the hospital.
It was the morning of Tuesday, April 14, when officers from the Omaha Police Department were called to a Walmart parking lot in Omaha, Nebraska. In a Facebook post, the department said a woman armed with a “large kitchen knife” had taken a young child.
She was later identified as 31-year-old Noemi Guzman.
“Ms. Guzman was making multiple threats with the knife. Officers gave multiple verbal commands for Ms. Guzman to drop the knife. She refused to drop the weapon and cut the boy,” police wrote.
“The two patrol officers fired their service weapons, striking Ms. Guzman. The child’s guardian, along with a bystander, immediately removed the child from the cart and rendered aid. Officers began lifesaving measures on Ms. Guzman; however, she was pronounced dead at the scene.”
Store surveillance footage later showed that Noemi Guzman had stolen the knife from inside the Walmart.
She then approached the child and his guardian in a store aisle, showed them the knife, and forced the guardian to “walk ahead of the cart while the child remained inside.”
Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer said, “The responding officers acted with professionalism and direct action to intervene and save a child’s life.”
“The community can be reassured in knowing that Omaha police officers stand ready to act with courage and decisiveness in the most serious situations to protect the public.”
The 3-year-old boy, now identified as Cyler Hillman, was rushed to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. While he survived, his father, Casey, says the ordeal has been deeply traumatic for him. Speaking to KMTV, Casey said that as soon as Cyler arrived at the hospital, he asked three heartbreaking questions.
“His three main concerns were his dad, a band-aid, and to go home,” Casey told KMTV, adding that he “broke down” when he saw his son. “If [the knife] would have been any lower or he wouldn’t have been looking out, we’d be having a whole different conversation,” he added.
Cyler was later prepared for surgery, and it was the first time he cried. The experience has clearly left an emotional mark on the 3-year-old. Casey said his son had always been fearless, but now he is afraid to leave the house, describing it as “scary.”
Despite what happened, Casey Hillman said his son showed remarkable bravery.
“He cowboyed up,” the father said.
A GoFundMe page has been launched to help with Cyler’s medical expenses and ongoing care, with the community rallying around him. At the time of writing, more than $34,000 has been raised. The investigation remains ongoing.