Advertisement Standoff ends with arrest, death of OPD K9 Authorities called to serve court-ordered mental health evaluation Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A man who held law enforcement in a standoff that lasted 26-hours shot and killed an Omaha Police K9 before his arrest Saturday night.The K9, named "Kobus," had been with the department since 2008.Mark L'Heureux, 59 surrendered to law enforcement shortly before 7:00 p.m., after walking out of a house near 83rd and Keystone Drive. During the lengthy standoff, L'Heureux allegedly fired at Douglas County Sheriff's deputies.Deputies initially went to the home Friday afternoon to serve a mental health warrant. L'Heureux locked himself alone in the home and refused to come out, according to Chief Deputy Tom Wheeler.Investigators said L'Heureux had several guns and ammunition inside the home so SWAT officials, negotiators and the Omaha Police Bomb Squad were on the scene.The ammunition included three fully automatic handguns, one semi-automatic handgun, two rifles, a shotgun and two revolvers, the Douglas County Sheriff's Office said Sunday.Monday, OPD released a photo of an officer's shield that had been struck by a bullet:In a statement Saturday night, Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer said "discipline and professional coordination" brought the standoff to a close. "While there was no human loss of life during the standoff, the Omaha Police Department suffered the tragic loss of our K9, Kobus," said Schmaderer.The Chief said Kobus was going to be retired in the next several months. "Kobus died in the line of duty in order to protect the lives of sworn law enforcement," Schmaderer said.Officer Matthew McKinney was Kobus's handler and partner.Around 1 a.m. Saturday, investigators began deploying gas into the home. Neighbors reported hearing booms throughout the day as that happened. Wheeler said the gas did not have any effect on L'Heureux, or the standoff."The death of Kobus is tragic for the Omaha Police Department and especially for his handler, Officer Matthew McKinney," Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert said in a statement Sunday morning.Her statement continued:"Our police dogs provide more than safety to officers and citizens, they are part of a family. He provided a great service at the scene of a dangerous standoff. We appreciate the work of all law enforcement agencies and thank the officers involved to bring this situation to a close"Daylight Sunday revelead damage the home sustained as authorities attempted to force the suspect out.Around a half dozen tear gas cartridges littered the sidewalk, and broken window showed where neighbors say police were shooting them through.Neighbors in the area say this wasn't L'Heureux’s first run-in with police.Many said L’Heureux has shown troubling behavior in the past, including harming neighbors' dogs, trespassing, and shooting fireworks at people.Jody and Daniel Rifehad a bird’s-eye view of the 26-hour ordeal from their upstairs window, witnessing every tactic authorities used, and the moment L’Heureux surrendered.“We stood there, we sat right there from our bedroom window and opened up the window so we could hear the noises too. The glass shattered, big booms…and then they flooded the house with water and they tried everything to bring him out,” said Jody Rife.“All the commotion going on and all that, and just trying to see what’s gonna happen, what’s gonna happen to the family, what’s gonna happen to the neighborhood,” Clark said.Police say L’Heureux has been booked on three counts of attempted first degree homicide, four counts of use of a weapon to commit a felony and one count of harassment of a police animal.