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Killing of Vicki Kaspar at Millard South High School

SOLVED2011Millard South High School, Omaha, Nebraska3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026

Documents violence · suicide — written to inform, not to shock.

Illustrative

On January 5, 2011, a shooting occurred at Millard South High School in Omaha, Nebraska. Robert Butler Jr., a 17-year-old senior at the school, had been suspended that morning for trespassing on school grounds after an earlier incident on New Year's Day in which he drove his car onto the school's football field.

At approximately 12:45 p.m., Butler returned to the school armed with a Glock .40-caliber pistol he had taken from his father's cabinet. He signed in for an appointment with vice principal Vicki Kaspar, walked into her office, and shot her. Moments later, principal Curtis Case ran into the hallway and was shot several times in the chest and hip. Butler then moved into the front office area, firing randomly; gunshot debris caused minor injuries to the school nurse.

After the shooting inside the school, Butler left the building and drove approximately two miles to a nearby BP gas station, where he fatally shot himself inside his vehicle. It was later reported that Butler had consumed K2, a synthetic cannabis product, before the shootings.

During the incident, Millard South High School went into lockdown, a measure that was later extended to all 21,000 students across the Millard School District. Kaspar and Case were both hospitalized at Saint Joseph Hospital at Creighton University Medical Center. Several hours later, Kaspar died of multiple head and chest wounds.

The shooting was described as the deadliest school shooting in Nebraska's history and the second such incident in the state's modern history, following a 1995 shooting in Chadron that left a teacher injured.

Because the perpetrator died at the scene of his own gunshot wound, no criminal charges were filed and no prosecution occurred.

Key facts

Victims
Curtis Case, Vicki Kaspar
Date
2011
Location
Millard South High School, Omaha, Nebraska
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 2011-01-01

    Robert Butler Jr. drove his car onto the Millard South High School football field.

  2. 2011-01-05

    Butler was suspended that morning for the New Year's Day trespassing incident.

  3. 2011-01-05

    At approximately 12:45 p.m., Butler returned to the school armed with a Glock .40-caliber pistol and shot vice principal Vicki Kaspar in her office.

  4. 2011-01-05

    Principal Curtis Case was shot several times in the chest and hip after running into the hallway.

  5. 2011-01-05

    Butler fired randomly in the front office area, causing minor injuries to the school nurse from gunshot debris.

  6. 2011-01-05

    Butler drove roughly two miles to a nearby BP gas station and fatally shot himself inside his vehicle.

  7. 2011-01-05

    Kaspar and Case were hospitalized at Saint Joseph Hospital at Creighton University Medical Center; Kaspar died several hours later of multiple head and chest wounds.

Best coverage

No approved coverage links are attached yet.

People

  • Curtis Case

    VICTIM

    Principal shot several times in the chest and hip; hospitalized.

    citation on file

  • Robert Butler Jr.

    CHARGED

    17-year-old student identified as the shooter; died by suicide at the scene before any criminal charges could be filed or adjudicated.

    citation on file

  • Vicki Kaspar

    VICTIM

    Vice principal fatally shot in her office; died of multiple head and chest wounds.

    citation on file

Places

Millard South High School, Omaha, Nebraska

41.2042, -96.1467

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
On January 5, 2011, a 17-year-old Millard South High School senior shot and killed vice principal Vicki Kaspar and wounded principal Curtis Case before fatally shooting himself in his car near the school.
Where did the killing happen?
Millard South High School, Omaha, Nebraska.
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.

Sources

  1. Millard South High Schoolwikipedia · Wikipedia · 2026-07-07
  2. Millard South High School — School Detailnews · nces.ed.gov · 2026-07-07
  3. Nebraska school shooting coveragenews · CNN · 2026-07-07
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