Nebraska man accepts plea deal in case of an active shooter drill that prosecutors say went too far

OMAHA, Nebraska — A Nebraska man has pleaded guilty to four charges of making a terroristic threat during a 2022 shooting. active shooter exercise that prosecutors say went too far.

John Channels, 29, an Omaha resident, appealed to him Tuesday as part of a deal with prosecutors, the Omaha World-Herald reportedAs part of the deal, prosecutors dismissed one charge of using a firearm to commit a crime.

According to police, Channels showed up at Omaha Catholic Charities wearing a black hoodie and a mask and fired blanks from a semi-automatic handgun. Authorities said he staged “victims” covered in fake blood and made to look like they had been injured or killed.

The charity hired Channel, who owned a security company and claimed to be a “citizen police officer,” to test his employees’ preparedness for such an attack. According to a police arrest affidavit, Channel told those at Omaha Catholic Charities who hired him that he had conducted other active shooter drills and that police officers would be present during the drill.

But police and employees were not warned in advance. The mock shooting sent employees running for their lives, and officers responded to panicked calls for help with guns drawn.

Douglas County District Attorney Don Kleine had previously said the exercise could have had serious consequences, such as an employee having a heart attack or Channels himself being shot by someone else or an officer.

One employee sued the charityclaiming that she had injured her back during her flight and that she had also been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. A judge her lawsuit was dismissed last year, ruled that the case should be heard by the industrial accident court.

In an unrelated case, Channels also pleaded no contest Wednesday to first-degree sexual assault, first-degree sexual assault of a child and possession of child sexual abuse material. As part of that plea agreement, prosecutors dropped 22 additional charges of possession of child sexual abuse material and sexual assault.

He will be sentenced to 21 years to life in prison on October 25.