Two men dead after altercation in Bloomfield bowling alley

On the morning of Tuesday, Feb. 20, around 9:30 in the morning, local authorities were notified of a shooting that took place on 12 W. Grant Street in Bloomfield, Nebraska. The shooting happened at a bowling alley named Curt’s Lanes and Dining. Arriving at the scene, Bloomfield Police officers found two men on the ground deceased with apparent gunshot wounds. Because of this, the Bloomfield Police Department (Bloomfield PD) requested more assistance with the case from the Nebraska State Patrol to investigate the incident. Knox County Sheriff’s Office also assisted with the ongoing investigation

After a preliminary investigation, 25-year-old Bloomfield resident Alias Reed was named a person of interest. At the time of the arrest, Reed was found by Nebraska State Patrol at his girlfriend's house Kaylyne Sweazy, 27. Local authorities and law enforcement suspected that the shooting happened due to Reed getting into an argument which later brewed into a fight.

Reed was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder as well as robbery. His girlfriend, Sweazy was arrested and charged with tampering with evidence. It is believed by investigators that both Reed and Sweazy worked together to dispose of the weapon that was used in the shooting of the two victims. Recently, police have identified the two victims who were killed in the shooting. The first was 77-year-old Curtis Strom and the second was 49-year-old William Reffett.

According to Nebraska State Patrol Captain Dane Hicks, “This would be a shocking event in any community, especially a town as tight-knit as Bloomfield. Our thoughts are with the families of these two victims, as well as with the entire community of Bloomfield. We understand that the community may desire more information about the details of this investigation, but our goal is for this to result in a successful prosecution.”

In response to the recent shooting that took place at the local bowling alley, schools and businesses within the Bloomfield area were put on lockdown and/or temporarily closed. According to Knox County Sheriff Don Henery, who's been in the position for almost 40 years, “Homicides in Knox County are irregular. I don’t remember there being a homicide in Bloomfield for years. We don’t have a lot in Knox County quite truthfully. To say it’s not shocking would be an understatement because it is, and this isn’t what human nature does.”

More information can be found on KTIV news, Lincoln Journal Star, as well as KLKN-TV

By Robert Tengker