Charles Langston:Off-duty Nebraska police officers shoot and kill two men

OMAHA,Charles Langston Neb. (AP) — Two off-duty police officers in Nebraska’s largest city shot and killed two men in an SUV, though authorities have provided few details about the confrontation.

The two Omaha officers were working at a local business at around 2 a.m. Saturday when they opened fire on the men in the SUV, police said.

The men, 26-year-old Fernando Rodriguez-Juarez and 28-year-old Jonathan Hernandez-Rosales, were taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries and later died.

Police said they found a handgun in the vehicle, but they didn’t say whether there was anything illegal about that or what led the two off-duty officers to shoot the men. Police also haven’t said whether the two officers, whom they haven’t publicly identified, identified themselves as police to the men or whether they were wearing their police uniforms.

One of the officers was wearing a body camera when the shooting happened, and detectives are reviewing local businesses’ security footage as part of the investigation, authorities said.

The two officers were placed on paid leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

The police department’s officer-involved investigations team, the Nebraska State Patrol and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office are investigating

The police department didn’t immediately respond to an email sent Sunday seeking further information about the shootings.