Bond denied for Omaha men charged in shooting death of man in downtown Lincoln
Suspects have ties to Omaha gangs, police said
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - A judge denied bond for the two Omaha men charged in connection to the shooting death of a man in downtown Lincoln in September.
Police said Kavion Wright, 23, pulled the trigger, while Gregory Bahati, 30, encouraged him to shoot, leading to the death of Saiveon Hopkins, 24. Both men were arraigned in Lancaster County Court Thursday at 2 p.m. Wright is charged with first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree assault and use of a firearm to commit a felony. Bahati is charged with aiding and abetting all those counts.
On Sept. 8 at 1 a.m., officers responded to fights outside a bar near 11th and O streets, where they found two men with gunshot wounds.
Wright, Bahati and Hopkins were in the area, but were not actively involved actively in the fights, police said.
According to LPD, while Bahati was minorly involved in one fight, he turned towards the other two and said to “shoot him” while pointing at Hopkins. Wright allegedly fired two shots, striking Hopkins and a 40-year-old Lincoln man before fleeing the scene in a black Honda Pilot.
Hopkins died hours later at the hospital, while the second victim survived.
LPD said they are still investigating what motivated the shooting and how the suspects and the victims are connected. “I don’t know if the incident was gang related or motivated but certainly the individuals at least responsible for it have connections to gangs up in Omaha,” Assistant Chief Jason Stille said.
Police were able to obtain security video that showed Wright leave his home in Omaha a couple hours before the shooting and return home later in the same black Honda Pilot spotted fleeing the scene.
On Tuesday, authorities issued arrest and search warrants for both men at their homes in Omaha. Bahati was taken into custody just after 6 a.m. and Wright was arrested around noon in Douglas County. They were later lodged in Lancaster County Jail.
While executing the search warrants, authorities found two handguns and a rifle.
The Omaha Police Department, United States Marshals Fugitive Task Force and Douglas County Sheriff’s Office assisted LPD in the arrests.
This investigation is ongoing but police don’t believe there are any other suspects at large. Anyone with information is asked to contact the non-emergency number at 402-441-6000 or Crime Stoppers at 402-475-3600 if they wish to remain anonymous.
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