Editor's Pick Alert Top Story

Lincoln mother of Omaha's latest slaying victim wants justice for her son

Gabriel Miller

Gabriel M. Miller, 21, died Saturday at Nebraska Medical Center after being shot at about 1:45 a.m. near 30th and Pratt streets. He is the 37th homicide victim in Omaha this year. 

Prefer us on Google Learn More

Kevin Cole Omaha World-Herald

OMAHA — Talking with a police detective Saturday after being told of her son’s fatal shooting in north Omaha, Kyra Miller pleaded for justice.

“I said, ‘Please take this seriously because he didn’t do anything wrong and he deserves justice,'" Miller said Sunday. “I wanted (the detective) to know that he has never, ever been in trouble with the law. His life meant something to a lot of people.”

Gabriel M. Miller, 21, a Lincoln native who was living in Colorado, died at Nebraska Medical Center after being shot at about 1:45 a.m. Saturday near 30th and Pratt streets. Officers responded to a call about a fight involving several people in the street and arrived to find Miller and Goa Dat, 22, suffering from gunshot wounds.

A Nebraska Medical Center spokeswoman said Sunday that no information for Dat is being released. Miller is Omaha’s 37th homicide victim of the year, compared with 22 in 2019 and 21 in 2018.

People are also reading…

Miller, who graduated from Lincoln High in 2017, moved in January to Aurora, Colorado, where he lived in an apartment near an uncle. But the young man missed his family and came home “to regroup” before heading back to Colorado next week, his mother said.

One person dead and one injured after Omaha shooting

Kyra Miller, who lives in Lincoln, said her son was in Omaha to go to a birthday party for a friend’s sister. Miller spoke through tears, saying that she is “trying to piece together” what caused her son’s death.

“I know that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” she said. “He was always just a calming force to people. He was very deep and a very smart young man who thought a lot about life.”

Police have not announced any arrests or said what led to the shooting.

Kyra Miller said she and Gabriel’s father, Henry Rollie of Lincoln, are not together. Gabriel grew up as the eldest son of an extended family of six boys and three girls.

In addition to his parents, Gabriel is survived by his siblings: Rayshana Miller, 23; Kaleb Miller, 18; Xavier Gary, 16; Dionte’ Rollie, 18; Malachi Rollie, 16; Keshaun Rollie, 13; Tierra Rollie, 12; and Tiana Rollie, 8.

“Gabe was always the family’s protector, looking out for everyone else,” his mother said. “He was such a good listener that a lot of people came to talk to him. He might listen and then tell you you’re crazy, but he would listen.”

Family meant everything to her son, Kyra Miller said. He loved children and she looked forward to the day that he had his own family.

“I couldn’t wait for him to be a father because he would have been such a great father,” she said. “We have family all across the country, and there are so many people who are hurting from this (death).”

A celebration of Gabriel’s life is being planned, his mother said. She posted a message on Facebook that she appreciates “the show of love and support” the family has been receiving.

Motorcyclist dies after collision in northwest Omaha, police say

“We are obviously going through a very difficult time right now and will take awhile to process,” she wrote. “We will be planning a celebration, and I will let everyone know the details when they are set. Please keep our family in your prayers and know that I appreciate any pictures or memories that anyone at all would like to share.”

Anyone with information about the shooting is encouraged to contact Omaha Crime Stoppers at 402-444-STOP. Tipsters remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward of $25,000 for information that leads to a homicide arrest.

Auburn man pleads no contest in crash that killed 20-year-old Lincoln woman near Panama
19-year-old woman shot in the head while driving in Omaha

Nebraska cold cases

Close

Gabriel Miller

Gabriel M. Miller, 21, died Saturday at Nebraska Medical Center after being shot at about 1:45 a.m. near 30th and Pratt streets. He is the 37th homicide victim in Omaha this year.