Detective: 17-year-old was shot in the head in front of family outside South Omaha bar

On Wednesday, 18-year-old Zadik Motino appeared in court for a preliminary hearing. Motino is charged with second-degree murder, use of a firearm to commit a felony and possessing a firearm as a felon in connection with the Nov. 17 killing of Mauricio Chavez at the Sippin’ Sirens bar near 42nd and H Streets.

According to testimony from Michael Young, an OPD homicide detective, Chavez’s family had gathered at the bar for a birthday party on the evening of the killing. Chavez dropped his mom off earlier in the evening and came back to the bar at about 11 p.m. to pick her up. He entered the bar despite being underage, Young said, but he was not drinking.

Shortly before the shooting, a group of five-or-so individuals — most of whom were underage — entered the bar. Motino was part of this group, according to Young. The group stood around a table and then went to play darts, where they were approached by a family member of Chavez.

According to Young, another man in the group with Motino had assaulted Chavez at some point in the past. Chavez’s cousin approached the group about the assault, and a verbal altercation ensued. It got so heated that the bartender eventually asked both groups to leave the bar out separate doors.

Chavez’s family left out the back door while Motino and the others in the group left out the front, Young said. For a moment, it seemed as if everyone was going their separate ways.

But at a row of parking spots along H Street, another confrontation was brewing. About five people began to crowd around two of Chavez’s female cousins as they tried to get in the car to leave the area. According to Young, both women told the group that they didn’t want any trouble and they just wanted to go home.

At the same time, Chavez was driving his mother and four other family members in a blue Kia away from the bar. As he drove down H Street, one of his cousins flagged Chavez down to have him help de-escalate the situation. Chavez stopped his car in the middle of H Street and began to exit the driver’s seat.

Within seconds of Chavez opening the car door, thirteen gunshots rang out. One of the shots hit him in the forehead. He was declared dead at the scene.

The altercations both inside and outside the bar were captured on surveillance video with audio. According to Young, the video was high quality enough that officers could make out a “very unique” tattoo on the gunman’s neck. In Motino’s mugshot, a thick black line is visible on the side of his neck.

Motino was arrested Dec. 1 in West Point, Nebraska, where he had fled to stay with his grandparents, according to Young. The gun used in the killing has not been recovered.

Public defenders for Motino argued that manslaughter was a more appropriate charge than second-degree murder, given the squabble inside the bar that preceded the shooting. But Deputy Douglas County Attorney Brenda Beadle, the prosecutor on the case, scoffed at the suggestion.

“This is not a case of manslaughter,” she said. “If you want to up it to premeditated murder, that may be appropriate.”

Douglas County Court Judge Grant Forsberg agreed with prosecutors and bound the case over to District Court for further proceedings. Motino will continue to be held without bail.