BELOW SUPERNAV drop zone ⇩

Man arrested in deadly attack at Nebraska Sonic restaurant

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

maylen

https://digital-stage.newsnationnow.com/

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241114185800

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241115200405

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241118165728

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241118184948

BELLEVUE, Neb. (NewsNation Now) — Authorities arrested a 23-year-old man in an attack at a Nebraska fast food restaurant in which two employees were shot and killed, two were wounded and officers responding to a report of a possible bomb inside a moving truck in the parking lot arrived to find the vehicle on fire.

Roberto Carlos Silva Jr., of Omaha, was booked into Sarpy County jail early Sunday on suspicion of first-degree murder and first-degree arson in Saturday night’s attack at a Sonic Drive-in restaurant in Bellevue, the Omaha World-Herald reported. Silva was being held without bond Sunday before making his initial court appearance.

In a news release early Sunday, Lt. Andy Jashinske said Bellevue police received a call at 9:23 p.m. Saturday about a possible bomb in a U-Haul truck parked outside of the restaurant in the Omaha suburb. A minute later, the call was updated to a possible shooting, he said.

This Sunday, Nov. 22, 2020 photo shows emergency personnel on the scene after a shooting at a Sonic restaurant on Saturday night where two people were killed and two others wounded in Bellevue, Neb. (Anna Reed/Omaha World-Herald via AP)

Officers who arrived found the moving truck burning and four restaurant employees who had been shot. Two were sent to the University of Nebraska Medical Center for treatment, and the other two were declared dead at the scene, Jashinske said.

Police identified those killed as Nathan Pastrana, 22, and Ryan Helbert, 28. The two employees who were taken to the hospital are Zoey Reece Atalig Lujan, 18, and Kenneth Gerner, 25. A fifth Sonic employee suffered a minor injury but declined treatment at a hospital.

The Omaha Police Department’s bomb squad was at the scene early Sunday to check on a “device,” as a precaution to make sure the area was safe, Jashinske said. They determined there was no bomb.

The attack came days after Silva was arrested outside of the restaurant after allegedly using someone else’s Sonic app account to buy a total of $57 worth of hamburgers and corn dogs in four separate purchases at that location, the World-Herald reported. Silva was released from jail on Thursday after posting 10% of his $1,500 bail. At the time of that arrest, police seized three firearms from Silva, and police still held those weapons, Jashinske said Sunday.

Get fact-based, unbiased news coverage 24/7 with the NewsNation app. Download it here.

After the shooting, police seized four firearms, though Silva was unarmed and didn’t resist when he was arrested outside the restaurant, Jashinske said.

Jashinske said the investigation was in its “infancy,” and he couldn’t explain what led to the shooting.

Sonic Drive-in, which is based in Oklahoma City, issued a statement Sunday saying the company was “stunned and saddened by what occurred at the Bellevue, Nebraska, Sonic Saturday night. Our heartfelt condolences go out to the franchise owner and the families and friends impacted by this horrific tragedy.”

Midwest

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

Site Settings Survey

 

MAIN AREA MIDDLE drop zone ⇩

Trending on NewsNation

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241119133138

MAIN AREA BOTTOM drop zone ⇩

tt

KC Chiefs parade shooting: 1 dead, 21 shot including 9 kids | Morning in America

Witness of Chiefs parade shooting describes suspect | Banfield

Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting: Mom of 2 dead, over 20 shot | Banfield

WWE star Ashley Massaro 'threatened' by board to keep quiet about alleged rape: Friend | Banfield

Friend of WWE star: Ashley Massaro 'spent hours' sobbing after alleged rape | Banfield

Sunny

la

67°F Sunny Feels like 67°
Wind
6 mph SW
Humidity
36%
Sunrise
Sunset

Tonight

A few passing clouds. Low 47F. Winds light and variable.
47°F A few passing clouds. Low 47F. Winds light and variable.
Wind
2 mph NNE
Precip
12%
Sunset
Moon Phase
Waning Gibbous