A dad has hailed his three-year-old son for his bravery after the youngster was attacked by a knife-wielding woman at a Walmart in Nebraska.
Casey Hillman said the horror incident involving his son Cyler, which unfolded outside of the supermarket in Omaha on Tuesday (14 April), made his 'blood boil' and his 'skin crawl'.
Noemi Guzman, 31, was shot dead by police in the car park after she commandeered the shopping trolley the little boy was being pushed in, 'took possession of the child' and attacked him.
Chaos erupted at the Walmart branch on Tuesday morning after Guzman approached Cyler and his babysitter while brandishing a large knife, officials said.
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Police told how surveillance footage captured the woman, who has a history of mental illness, shoplifting the knife from the store before she then approached the pair.
While 'making multiple threats with the knife', Guzman is said to have forced Cyler's caregiver to walk through the store and into the car park.
Cops swooped on the scene and issued 'multiple verbal commands for Guzman to drop the knife', the Omaha Police Department said.
"She refused to drop the weapon and cut the boy," the force explained in a statement. "The two patrol officers fired their service weapons striking Ms. Guzman."
The officers were praised for 'acting with professionalism and direct action to intervene and save a child's life'.
Guzman was pronounced dead at the scene, while Cyler was taken to hospital for non-life threatening injuries after being 'cut across the face' with the weapon the assailant was wielding.
He sustained a large gash to the left side of his face and one on his hand during the incident.
The little boy's parents have now spoken out about Cyler's ordeal and how he has been impacted by it.
In an emotional interview with KMTV, his dad Casey told how the three-year-old was left terrified by the prospect of leaving the house in wake of the incident.
The father recalled how he raced to the Walmart store after being informed about what had gone on, before 'breaking down' when he arrived.
"I think I broke down and just started thanking the man upstairs, because if [the knife] would have been any lower or he wouldn't have been looking out, we'd be having a whole different conversation," Casey said.
Cyler's 'three main concerns were his dad, a band-aid and to go home', Casey went on to say.
"He sat in my lap until they took him to surgery and that was the first time he cried during that whole ordeal, because he had to leave me," the dad continued.
"I think it's been just as rough, if not rougher on me than it has been on him...he's been real angry all morning, which is expected."
"Then we were going to get his boots and he told me he didn't want to go outside, because it was scary outside," Casey said. "Dad had to take a moment and just...'Oh, crap'.
"I told him one of us would be holding him the whole time, that got him to leave the house with me."
According to the BBC, Guzman was arrested back in 2024 for attempting to light a fire inside a home and injuring her father with a knife.
She is alleged to have then broke into a church while also armed with a knife, but was found not responsible by reason of insanity, reports state.
It is said that a judge ruled that she was suffering from schizophrenia and should remain under the court's supervision.
Asked how he felt after finding out about her alleged track record, Casey said: "I had a lot of resentment, a lot of anger...it made my blood boil, skin crawl.
"I don't know what it's like to lose a kid, but this is pretty damn close, and I'm still pretty rattled. It's been rough."
Speaking of little Cyler's courage, Casey added: "He definitely cowboyed up. I don't think I could have got a gash like that and not been crying.
"He's our kid with no fear. He jumps off of the sofas and he tests the limits all the time."
A GoFundMe page set up to help cover 'medical bills, therapy, and daily expenses' for Cyler has already raised a whopping $32,483 (£23,925) of it's $40,000 (£29,462) target.
Police said the investigation 'remains ongoing'.
A Walmart spokesperson previously told LADbible that 'violence like this is unacceptable', adding: "We’re working with police and supporting them in their investigation'.
The Omaha Police Department for further comment is asking any independent witnesses who may have observed or recorded any actions of Guzman during this incident to please contact the department directly at 402-444-4877. Please reference Report Number: AA31063 when calling.
Olivia Burke