By Bridget McQuillan, Julia Smith & Emily Wynn

Two Omaha police officers and a suspect were involved in a shooting at the Creighton University Medical Center Wednesday morning.

The Omaha Police Department responded to a 911 call at 9:19 a.m. and found a man matching the suspect’s description on the lobby level of CUMC, near the cafeteria.

The police officers arrived on the scene and asked the suspect, 39-year-old Jeffrey Layten of Tekamah, Neb., to show his hands. Layton then pulled out a gun and aimed at the officers, according to an OPD press release. Officer Lee Kerniskey then tased the suspect. Layten then opened fire on the officers, and the officers shot him in the chest.

Kerniskey suffered a graze wound to his thigh, and Officer Eric Picht suffered a gunshot wound to his foot. Both were released from CUMC Wednesday.

Layten, who was not affiliated with Creighton or CUMC, died Wednesday afternoon from gunshots fired by the police, according to the press release.

CUMC went into partial lockdown during the incident so police and CUMC officers could make sure everyone in the building had a legitimate reason to be there. The emergency room continued to provide services to patients. No CUMC patients, students, employees or faculty were hurt.

Police said Layten was also the suspect in a manhunt early Wednesday morning and a domestic dispute late Tuesday night.

As of late Wednesday, the police were still investigating the incident.

“We are extremely grateful to the Omaha Police Department for their exceptional job of stabilizing the situation and disarming the suspect,” said John Cernech, dean of students and vice president for Student Services, in an official update sent to the Creighton community Wednesday. “We have the families of those involved in our thoughts and prayers.”

Still, the shooting left some Creighton students feeling a little anxious.

“I feel a little unsafe in the Omaha area,” said Clare Houlihan, Arts & Sciences sophomore. “It’s a little concerning that we’re in an area where we have to worry about gunfire.”

Arts & Sciences junior Kate Branstetter also felt uneasy.

“It’s a little scary because I was in a classroom and we could see CUMC,” Branstetter said. “Sometimes CU students forget we’re in an urban environment. We aren’t in the safest area of Omaha.”

Cernech said Wednesday’s shooting, coupled with Tuesday’s shooting at the University of Texas at Austin, “reminds us all of the fragility of life and of the need to be safe – even on college campuses.”

Cernech suggested that students should participate in CUAlert, Creighton’s emergency notification system. CUAlert will send official alerts through text messages, phone messages and e-mail.

“I am asking everyone to register for this service,” Cernech said.