Bellevue Man James Bolter III, 38, Killed in Shootout With Papillion Police After High-Speed Chase
A 38-year-old Bellevue man is dead after exchanging gunfire with Papillion police officers Friday night following a shooting at a local restaurant.
Authorities identified the suspect as James Bolter III, who was pronounced dead shortly after being rushed to Creighton University Medical Center – Bergan Mercy.
The incident began Friday evening at Ming’s Restaurant in Tara Plaza, located near East Centennial Road and North Washington Street in Papillion.
Officers were dispatched to the restaurant following reports of a shooting. When police arrived, Bolter fled the scene before officers could make contact with him.
Officers soon located a vehicle matching the description of the one Bolter was driving and attempted to stop him. Rather than pulling over, Bolter sped away, prompting officers to initiate a pursuit through the streets of Papillion. The chase took officers through several areas of the city before things turned deadly.
Near West Sixth Street and 96th Street, Bolter opened fire on the pursuing officers. Officers continued the chase as Bolter kept fleeing. The pursuit came to an end in the parking lot of a Home Depot near North Washington and West 6th Street, where Bolter again fired at officers. Multiple officers returned fire, striking Bolter. He was critically injured and rushed to the hospital, where he was declared dead that same night.
No officers were injured during the incident, and no bystanders were reported hurt. Papillion Police Chief Chris Whitted confirmed that multiple officers discharged their weapons and said he believes Bolter was the one who initiated the gunfire in the Home Depot parking lot, though the full sequence of events remains under investigation.
“We do rep this, we go through shoot-don’t-shoot situations, they go through scenarios, they go through felony traffic stops, and I think we do a good job of training officers to handle a situation like this,” Chief Whitted said. “Fortunately, there were no officers injured tonight, so I’m very, very thankful for that.”
Multi-Agency Team Takes Over Investigation as Authorities Piece Together Motive
The investigation has been handed over to the Sarpy County Force Investigation Team, a multi-agency unit that handles officer-involved shootings in the region.
Investigators are interviewing witnesses who were present at all three locations connected to the incident, including the restaurant, the street where shots were first fired at officers, and the Home Depot parking lot.
Authorities are also looking into whether any activity inside Ming’s Restaurant contributed to or triggered the initial shooting, though early indications point to the incident beginning outside the building.
The parking lot of the Home Depot and portions of the surrounding area remained closed as of Saturday while investigators processed the scene.
Court records obtained by local media revealed that Bolter’s wife had filed for divorce on the same day as the shooting. The couple, who married in 2010 and had three children together, had been separated since March.
Investigators are asking members of the public who recorded video of the chase or shooting to upload their footage to assist with the investigation.
The Sarpy County Force Investigation Team provided a link for submissions through Evidence Anywhere, an online platform used for collecting digital evidence.
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