NORFOLK, Neb. (AP) — Authorities have released the name of a 42-year-old man who died after struggling with a police officer at a motel in northeast Nebraska.

On Wednesday Madison County Attorney Joe Smith identified the man as Andre Murphy Sr., whose last known address was in Seward.

Officers had been dispatched to the Super 8 Motel in Norfolk on Wednesday morning after a series of 911 calls. The unnamed officer and Murphy struggled there, and Murphy died later at a hospital.

Smith says the officer attempted to deploy a Taser at one point during the incident, but no weapons were used by Murphy. An autopsy is scheduled for Thursday. The officer was treated for minor injuries.

The Nebraska State Patrol is investigating, as will a grand jury.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Lancaster County district judge has sentenced a 21-year-old man back to prison after he was convicted of illegally possessing a gun.

A jury convicted Oshea Brooks in December of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. The judge sentenced him on Wednesday to 10 to 20 years in prison.

Court documents show Brooks was arrested in March after police say they saw him and another man give two .22-caliber rifles to two other men in exchange for money.

Brooks served almost two years in prison on a 2011 burglary charge. That conviction made it illegal for him to have a firearm under state law.

The judge gave Brooks credit for the 287 days he served in jail.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The lawyer for an Omaha woman has told a jury that family members who’ll be testifying against her are not to be believed.

Sean Conway said Wednesday during his opening statements in Erica Jenkins’ first murder trial that a “trio of proven liars” will be taking the stand to help convict the 24-year-old.

Jenkins is charged with murder and other crimes in the Aug. 19, 2013, slaying of Curtis Bradford. Her second murder trial is scheduled to begin Jan. 26 in slaying of Andrea Kruger on Aug. 21, 2013.

Jenkins’ brother, Nikko Jenkins, has pleaded guilty to killing Kruger, Bradford and two more men.

Serving time at the York prison for robbing the two men before their slayings, Erica Jenkins has waived her right to attend her trials.

ROCA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities have released the name of a driver killed when his vehicle ran off a road south of Lincoln in Lancaster County.

He was identified as 31-year-old Steven Strauss, of Garland.

His vehicle crashed about a mile and a half east of Roca, and the accident was reported around 8:40 a.m. Wednesday.

United States Attorney Deborah R. Gilg announced that on December 30th, 2104, Laron Gray was sentenced by the Honorable Chief United States District Court Judge Laurie Smith Camp to a term of 15 years and eight months’ imprisonment, which will be followed by four years of supervised release.

On June 30, 2014, Gray, who is 37 years old and from Fort Worth, Texas, pleaded guilty to distribution of 28 grams or more of cocaine base (i.e. crack cocaine) on December 12th, 2013 in Omaha, Nebraska.

Evidence at the sentencing hearing showed that Gray would regularly arrange for large quantities of cocaine base to be delivered to people in Omaha Nebraska. On December 12th, 2013, Gray sold approximately four ounces of cocaine base to an undercover officer.

Evidence adduced at the sentencing hearing also showed that Gray’s prior criminal record included convictions in Dumas, Arkansas for violent felony offenses including aggravated assault and battery.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Greater Omaha Safe Streets Task Force.

The operating room can be a stressful setting, especially for surgical residents – surgeons in training following medical school. But an innovative training program at the University of Nebraska Medical Center using lightly embalmed cadavers helps better prepare surgeons and serves as a national model.

“The training allows residents to walk before they run because the lightly embalmed cadavers more realistically mimic an actual surgery,” said Chandra Are, M.B.B.S., surgeon and vice chairman of education in the UNMC Department of Surgery. “Lightly embalmed cadavers are as close to real life as possible and therefore are an invaluable tool for resident training.”

In traditionally embalmed cadavers preserved with formaldehyde, tissues become rigid, organs and structures are difficult to distinguish and normal bleeding that takes place in surgery is not replicated. But tissue of lightly embalmed cadavers is much more like living tissue and provides a better model for learning surgical procedures and techniques.

In the cadaver lab, residents practice as many as 25 to 50 common procedures annually, with increasing difficulty as they advance in skill.

The open surgical skills training program using lightly embalmed cadavers sets the UNMC surgical residency training program apart from programs at other universities, Dr. Are said, and helps recruit top residents to Nebraska.

He said the program also provides a very cost-effective method of teaching surgical skills and anatomy, and surgical residents consistently give the program the highest rating among their training activities.

Dr. Are has expanded the program to include first-year medical students, giving them exposure to surgery earlier in their training. He hopes to expand the program to include more opportunities for interprofessional education through participation by other disciplines, with the program serving as a basis for collaboration in training and research across departments.

He said he plans to use detailed metrics to further assess the program and continue improving it and that he hopes to find additional funding support to move the program to the next level.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The University of Nebraska and federal authorities are awaiting a judge’s ruling on their agreement for the cleanup of polluted areas at the former Nebraska Ordnance plant near Mead.

The consent decree between the university and the Environmental Protection Agency was filed Dec. 31 in U.S. District Court in Lincoln and is being reviewed by Judge John Gerrard. An EPA attorney, James Stevens, says he doesn’t expect a decision until after a 30-day comment period that began with the decree filing.

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, the university hauled hazardous waste to the site and buried it. The site’s soil and groundwater already were contaminated with explosive compounds and toxic solvents. The university has spent more than $11 million on the cleanup.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Police say a 29-year-old man is the second person to die following a December triple shooting in northeast Omaha.

Jermaine Richey was in the driver’s seat of a vehicle when authorities say they found him and two other men suffering from gunshot wounds. Police say Richey died Wednesday at a hospital.

The other two men were sent to hospitals after the shooting. Twenty-seven-year-old Derek Johnson died hours after the shooting on Dec. 21. A hospital spokeswoman says 24-year-old Demetrion Washington was treated and released.

Police say an unknown number of suspects fired more than 20 shots at the vehicle.

No arrests or further details have been released by police. An investigation is ongoing.

Authorities ask anyone with information about the homicides to contact Crime Stoppers or the Omaha Police Department.

NORFOLK, Neb. (AP) — Officials say a man has died following an incident with a police officer at a motel in eastern Nebraska.

Norfolk police say officers went to a Super 8 motel Wednesday morning after receiving a series of 911 calls.

Madison County Attorney Joe Smith says a responding officer attempted to deploy a Taser at one point during the incident, but additional information was not available.

A man and the officer were taken to a local hospital, where the man was pronounced dead. The officer involved was not seriously injured.

The Nebraska State Patrol is investigating the man’s death. The names of the man and the officer have not been released.

LA VISTA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities have released more information about a man found dead in eastern Nebraska last month.

The Sarpy County Attorney’s Office says 52-year-old Gaylord Surratt died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. His body was found on Christmas Eve.

Surratt’s mother, 79-year-old Rona Surratt, was found injured inside the home at the time. She suffered a skull fracture.

An investigation into Gaylord Surratt’s death and his mother’s injury shows the man shot his mother, who then fell and hit her head. Authorities say Gaylord Surratt then went into the living room and shot himself.

Sarpy County Chief Deputy Attorney Tricia Freeman says the case is closed and no criminal charges will be filed.