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Police officer who shot unarmed man violated rules and should be fired

Heory

Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer said Wednesday he recommended firing Officer Adam Vail for violating department policies, procedures and training in connection with the fatal shooting of Cameron Ford.

Ford, 37, was shot and killed by Vail, a SWAT team member, during a no-knock search of Ford’s home Aug. 28. Ford was unarmed.

“I have determined that Officer Adam Vail’s actions violated our department’s policies, procedures and training. As a result, I have recommended that he be hired by OPD. Officer Vail will be granted the right to a pre-termination hearing with the Director of Human Resources, who will then rule whether to agree or disagree with my recommendation,” Schmaderer said in a statement Wednesday. “During the course of my investigation, I did not observe or discover any criminal intent on the part of Officer Vail. However, I cannot ignore my finding that policies and procedures were violated.”

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In a news release, Schmaderer said Vail was recommended for dismissal due to the findings of an internal investigation, which is separate from the criminal and grand jury investigations.

“The internal investigation process and process were comprehensive and thorough,” Schmaderer said in a statement.

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