31-year-old Noemi Guzman was shot dead by police after attacking 3-year-old Cyler with a knife at a Walmart parking lot in Omaha, Nebraska. Now, the boy’s father, Casey Hillman, has spoken out about his son’s bravery during the horrifying attack, sharing the heartbreaking question he asked at the hospital.

It was on the morning of Tuesday, April 14, when officers from the Omaha Police Department responded to a Walmart parking lot in Omaha, Nebraska. On their Facebook page, the police department explained how a woman armed with a “large kitchen knife” had taken a young child.

She was later identified as 31-year-old Noemi Guzman.

“Ms. Guzman was making multiple threats with the knife. Officers gave multiple verbal commands for Ms. Guzman to drop the knife. She refused to drop the weapon and cut the boy,” the police wrote.

“The two patrol officers fired their service weapons striking Ms. Guzman. The child’s guardian, along with a bystander, immediately removed the child from the cart and rendered aid to him. Officers began lifesaving measures on Ms. Guzman; however, she was pronounced dead at the scene.”

Store surveillance footage showed how Noemi Guzman had shoplifted the knife from inside the Walmart.

3-year-old boy attacked with knife in parking lot asked heartbreaking question at hospital

She approached the child and its guardian in a shopping aisle, showing them the knife, and forced the person to “walk ahead of the cart while the child remained inside.”

“The responding officers acted with professionalism and direct action to intervene and save a child’s life,” Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer said.

“The community can be reassured in knowing that Omaha police officers stand ready to act with courage and decisiveness in the most serious situations to protect the public.”

The 3-year-old boy, now identified as Cyler Hillman, was rushed to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. But while the little boy made it out alive, his father, Casey, has shared that the experience has been traumatic for Cyler. Speaking with KMTV, Casey revealed that as soon as the boy came to the hospital, he asked three heartbreaking questions.

“His three main concerns were his dad, a band-aid, and to go home,” Casey told KMTV, adding that he “broke down” when he saw his son. “If [the knife] would have been any lower or he wouldn’t have been looking out, we’d be having a whole different conversation,” he added.

Scared of leaving the house

As his son was prepared for surgery, it was the first time Cyler cried. The attack took an emotional toll on the 3-year-old. Casey shared that his son has always been fearless. But now he is terrified of leaving the house, calling it “scary.”

Despite the horrifying incident, Casey Hillman said his son was very brave.

He cowboyed up”, the father stated.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help with Cyler’s medical expenses and ongoing care, and the community rallied behind the boy. At the time of writing, more than $34,000 has been raised. The investigation is still ongoing.