Omaha high school special education teacher killed in shooting at home in Sarpy County

CHALCO, Neb. (WOWT) – A Westside High School teacher and her husband are dead following a domestic violence incident that ended with a shooting at a home on the southwest end of metro Omaha.

Deputies found 45-year-old Rebecca Geiger dead at her Chalco Hills-area home after an exchange of gunfire near South 143rd Street and Meadows Parkway around 3 a.m., Sarpy County Sheriff Jeff Davis said in an update Monday.

Geiger’s 19-year-old daughter called 911 and said her father, 44-year-old Rory Geiger, had shot her mother and pointed a gun at her, authorities said.

Rory Geiger then turned his attention to deputies, but Davis said it was a person in the home who fired the first shot.

“A gunshot was fired from inside the house, outside the glass window. One of our officers returned fire,” the sheriff said.

Deputies then entered the home and found Rory Geiger dead. Officials said at the press conference that life-saving measures were taken on the victim, but he was pronounced dead.

The couple’s two daughters were at home when the shooting started. Authorities said the girls could be in serious trouble.

6 News was first on the scene Monday morning. Authorities said they went to the home about a month ago for an incident and were told not to return.

“There was an alarm at the house because of the response they received at the time,” Davis said. “It was domestic and we tracked it down due to mental health issues. The next day that person said to him, ‘be careful; You shouldn’t come back here.’”

Authorities announced that the five deputies involved in the incident were placed on administrative leave. None were injured.

Investigators are examining body cameras worn by deputies, as well as cameras inside and outside the home. They are not yet sure if Rory Geiger’s fatal wounds were self-inflicted or the result of gunfire from a Sarpy County deputy.

“It seems at this point, whether she took her own life or was shot by one of our guys, certainly their intervention and entry probably saved both girls’ lives.”

Deputies found several guns in the home, Davis said.

‘A VERY GOOD TEACHER’

Ms. Geiger was a special education teacher who had just started her 10th year at Westside High School.

“He was a very kind teacher,” Elizabeth Power said. Westdside Community Schools. “He was very good at helping his students feel very seen, very loved, and like they belonged here at Westside High, which is something that is very important for every student, especially his own students.”

The district established a crisis response team. Advisors will be available all week.

Watch Monday’s press conference

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