Nebraska Deaf Target employee escaped shooting

Renca: On Tuesday, January 31, 2023, there was an active shooter at a Target department store in Omaha, Nebraska and a Deaf employee was there that day. Jesse Wiese was on his last day working at Target because he had another job opportunity. On his last day, the active shooter entered Target and began shooting with a semi-automatic rifle. There were about 250 people inside Target during the time. The police arrived within a few minutes, and an officer shot and killed the gunman. Fortunately, no one else was hurt or killed.

In one article, it mentioned that a mother thanked Jesse (Deaf Target employee) for helping her escape Target because she had three kids with her. She was not able to hold all three of them. So, Jesse came by and picked up one of her kids as the mother held two of her other kids and all of them ran out of Target just in time. We reached out to Jesse to explain his experience.

Jesse: Hey, I’m Jesse and this is my sign name. I live in Elkhorn, Nebraska. This Target is pretty close to my home and this was where I used to work. On the last day I was here which was about three..maybe four weeks ago, and it was the day there was an active shooter inside this Target. Let’s walk in and I’ll show you where it happened.

On that day, I was standing in the laundry aisle back there. There’s an exit door back that way that people started running towards. But I didn’t hear any of the commotions because I had left my hearing aid at home that day. That was when my friend Dallas came by and grabbed me to get out, he explained that shooting was happening here.

I was shocked and terrified as everyone in here started to scatter and run out. Some people were also hiding in the bathrooms, office rooms and other parts of the store. When officers arrived, they started searching and found the shooter. Some people saw that scene go down. There were so many officers here. Once I got out, I just started running. I noticed a son and daughter with their mom, and I instinctively picked up her third kid (daughter) to help them out and get them to safety. We ran through some trees and crossed the road, trying to knock on doors in the neighborhood there. We were scrambling until finally, someone allowed us to go into their home. I think there were about 8-9 other people inside that house too. They were safe.

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Everyone was calling their parents or family once they were safe. I called my fiance Eden, my parents, and my sister too. My brother was calling me and I got so many messages and emails asking if I was okay and safe. Thankfully I could tell everyone I was fine but that it was a scary experience, and I had made it home safe. I was crying a bit and Eden was so worried. Eden’s mom was worried too.

I’m thankful for those who helped me to safety. I feel that… It was truly a scary experience but I am grateful to Dallas, my other friends, and the police. For everyone who texted and emailed me, thank you so much. It made me feel a lot better.

Renca: Thank you Jesse for sharing your story with us. We are glad that everyone else was safe and no one else was hurt.

https://www.wowt.com/2023/02/03/omaha-target-shooting-police-detail-timeline-events/

https://www.3newsnow.com/news/local-news/target-shoppers-employees-pick-up-things-they-abandoned-whe