Premium ContentMouse over Home then click on Premium Content for information.A downtown shooting that killed a man Saturday may have been motivated by a long-running dispute that included the apparent "shanking" of a once-notorious Omaha gang member.
Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine charged Tillman T. Henderson, 24, with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and two gun charges in the slaying Saturday of Matthew M. Voss, 34, and the shooting of Antonio M. Washington, 38.
Kleine said Wednesday the early-morning shooting outside 1618 Harney St. appeared to have been motivated, in part, by a years-ago stabbing of Jimmy Levering, a now-deceased gang member who was suspected in several shootings.
Voss allegedly stabbed Levering in jail a few years ago, Kleine said. The purported motive: Voss and others, including Omaha police, believed Levering had killed Voss' cousin Kenny Miller in November 2006.
However, first-degree murder charges against Levering were dropped in February 2008 after witnesses refused to testify.
Fast forward four years.
Henderson, an alleged associate of Levering's, had just been released from prison in late January after serving seven years for terroristic threats, second-degree assault and gun use. He was put on parole Jan. 25.
On Saturday, three weeks after his release, Henderson was wearing his parole-required GPS monitoring device when a melee broke out at 16th and Harney Streets.
At 3:28 a.m., Omaha police officers responded to a report of a crowd disturbance.
The first officer to arrive heard multiple gunshots. People in the crowd directed the officer to a man fleeing from the area. The officer chased down the man, later identified as Henderson, at 15th and Farnam Streets — and found two guns believed to be used in the shooting.
Investigators downloaded information from the GPS tracker — and it traced Henderson's movement from the area of a party to his arrest, Kleine said.
Voss' father, John, said he has heard that his son and Henderson had been feuding, though he said he wasn't aware that it once involved Levering.
Levering was shot and killed outside the Club Seville in May. At the time of his slaying, Levering had just gotten out of federal prison after serving two years for being a felon in possession of ammunition.
Voss also was on parole, having been released in 2010 from federal prison after serving about four years on a gun and drug charge. Washington — who survived Saturday, despite being shot in the head — and Voss both had served prison time for firing into a house or car.
John Voss said he was relieved that police made an arrest.
Voss said his son had tried to leave his gang life behind and had been working full-time to "take care of his responsibilities." Matthew Voss had four children and another one on the way.
"It's hard for any parent, for their child to go before them," John Voss said. "The fact that police do have this individual has been of great relief. You know how street justice goes. We don't want any of that stuff."
Contact the writer:
402-444-1275, todd.cooper@owh.com
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