A Nebraska police officer was killed in a shootout a day before she was scheduled to go on maternity leave.

Omaha police officer Kerrie Orozco, 29, was gunned down yesterday when she went to serve a warrant to 26-year-old shooting suspect Marcus Wheeler. He was also killed in the firefight.

Orozco gave birth prematurely in February to a baby girl named Olivia Ruth. Orozco returned to work while her newborn was growing stronger in the hospital. She planned to start maternity leave today, the same day that Olivia is scheduled to return home from the hospital.

Orozco worked in the gang unit and was a seven-year veteran of the police force. The Omaha Police Department posted on Facebook that her life was taken too soon.

“Her loss will not only impact the police officers but will also be a huge loss for the citizens of Omaha,” the post said, citing her role as a baseball coach at the North Omaha Boys and Girls Club and her volunteer work with the Special Olympics.

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A life taken too soon. End of watch May 20, 2015Officer Kerrie Orozco has been with the Omaha Police Department 7... Posted by Omaha Police Department on Wednesday, May 20, 2015



Orozco leaves behind her husband, two stepchildren, and her newborn child.

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