Lincoln man convicted of stabbing police officer in 2018

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – The Lincoln man who stabbed a police officer in 2018 was sentenced Tuesday to 26 to 33 years in prison.

Christopher Brennauer, 49, received the sentence in recognition of the five years and eight months he had already served. He pleaded no contest to charges of making terroristic threats, possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited person, assault on an officer and two counts of using a deadly weapon to commit a felony in September.

The incident occurred on December 29, 2018 when officers responded to a domestic disturbance. Lincoln police officers Kyle Russell and Josh Atkinson attempted to arrest Brennauer after he refused to obey their commands.

During the struggle, Brennauer stabbed Officer Russell. Officer Russell then fired his weapon, striking both Brennauer and Officer Atkinson.

Brennauer was originally convicted in 2021, but the Nebraska Supreme Court later overturned the conviction, citing an error in jury instructions.

The court overturned his convictions and sentence, resulting in him being resentenced this week.

Authorities believe Brennauer was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia at the time of the incident and may have been abusing drugs before the stabbing.

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