A woman in Omaha slashed a child during an attempted kidnapping in a Walmart parking lot before she was shot and killed by police. It was just a year ago that 31-year-old Noemi Guzman was “ruled to be a danger to herself and others.” The child, Kyler, underwent surgery at Children’s Nebraska and is recovering.

Police were called to the Walmart at about 9:20 am. When they arrived, they found Guzman holding a knife to the toddler, just 3-years-old. The child, in a shopping cart, had been taken from inside the store after Guzman threatened the caregiver with a knife and forced them outside. The knife she had was stolen and she cut the child on his arm and his face. 

Officers gave Guzman verbal commands to which she did not respond. They later said that it was not known why Guzman approached the child or harmed him.

“The person with the child was actually shopping inside the Walmart,” said Executive Deputy Chief of the Omaha Police Department Scott Gray, “when she was approached by the suspect. The suspect swiped the knife at the child, cutting him across the face. Officers at that time, at least one officer, fired their weapon.”

Kyler, whose parents call him their “little cowboy.”

Guzman was previously accused of stabbing her father and breaking into a church rectory in 2024. When that case went to trial, she was ruled “not responsible by reason of insanity.” She was ordered to undergo rehabilitation in an “outpatient capacity.” By June 2025, authorities ruled that she was schizophrenic and mentally ill. 

Guzman “remains a danger to herself and others, and should remain under the jurisdiction of the court.” They also said that she can “continue to reside in the community with family support unless otherwise recommended by her community treatment team.” A one-year review was scheduled to take place, but it’s unclear if that happened.