Well, in all the crazy news, this just slid by. I would say “shot…and chaser” but that would be tasteless here.

From Friday:

Warrant to be issued for Jake Gardner, Omaha bar owner charged in death of James Scurlock

A grand jury on Tuesday charged Jake Gardner, 38, with four felonies: manslaughter, attempted first-degree assault, making terroristic threats and use of a weapon to commit a felony.

Gardner shot James Scurlock during a struggle outside Gardner’s bars near 12th and Harney Streets. He says he acted in self-defense. If convicted, he could face up to 95 years in prison.

*snip*

On June 1, Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine announced at a press conference that he wouldn’t be charging Gardner because interviews with witnesses and video of the scuffle between Gardner and Scurlock supported the self-defense claim. But Franklin [special prosecutor brought in after an uproar] came to a different conclusion. Omaha police and Franklin’s investigators, both of whom are retired Omaha police detectives, continued to investigate the case. The investigators interviewed 60 witnesses.

omaha.com

There’s more at the link about how one legislator said Jake Gardner was getting special treatment in turning himself in.

Which brings us to today:

Jake Gardner has killed himself in Oregon, authorities say

In a stunning development, Jake Gardner — the white bar owner indicted in the killing of a 22-year-old Black man during protests in downtown Omaha on May 30 — has been found dead near Portland, Oregon.

Gardner shot himself after authorities in Hillsboro, Oregon, received a call of a suicidal party, said two law enforcement sources who spoke on condition of anonymity. The death happened this weekend, though Hillsboro police would not confirm the death or the time it happened.

More at the link: omaha.com

If he’d been arrested after the warrant was issued, would he be alive now?