Ambushed While Picking Up Her Child: Crime‑Scene Investigator Survives Execution‑Style Shooting

On the evening of April 20, 2022, 33‑year‑old crime‑scene investigator Nicki Lenway was ambushed in the parking lot of the FamilyWise parenting center as she went to pick up her 5‑year‑old son, Callahan. A masked assailant ran up from behind and shot her multiple times at point‑blank range. Despite severe wounds to her arm and neck, Lenway survived and was rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition.

The immediate aftermath and a life‑saving witness

Across the street, witness Emilie Clancy saw the attack unfold from her car. After hearing gunshots and watching Lenway collapse, Clancy pulled alongside, took over the 911 call and helped get Lenway into her front seat. She removed her jacket to stem the bleeding and kept Lenway conscious, later recalling, "Nikki, we've got this. We've got this. Just stay with me…" First responders arrived within minutes and transported Lenway to the hospital.

Video evidence and early leads

Investigators quickly gathered security footage from FamilyWise and nearby businesses. Cameras captured Lenway arriving, a figure dressed in black and masked running up behind her, the shots being fired, and the shooter fleeing on foot before leaving the scene in a black Dodge Ram truck. The truck had no visible plates, leaving investigators with limited immediate leads.

Motive, custody dispute and vehicle forensics

Police learned Lenway had been picking up her son after a scheduled, supervised visit with the boy's father and Lenway's ex‑boyfriend, taekwondo instructor Tim Amacher. Lenway told investigators she suspected Amacher, pointing to a troubled history that included allegations of abuse and a bitter custody fight that had ended with Lenway awarded sole custody and Amacher limited to one supervised visit per week.

Although Amacher said he had been inside FamilyWise when the shooting occurred, a records check revealed a vehicle registered to him that matched the getaway truck: a black Dodge Ram. The FBI was asked to help analyze the truck's electronic data. A technology specialist determined the Ram's onboard Wi‑Fi and other vehicle data, combined with Amacher's phone records earlier that day, placed the truck in the chain of events — a crucial digital connection to the crime.

Confession, complicity and convictions

During interviews, Amacher told investigators that Colleen Larson — a former longtime student and later intimate partner — had access to his truck. Police interviewed Larson twice. In a recorded second interview she confessed: "I took the truck and I drove over there … and then I shot her," and said she acted at Amacher's request.

Larson later told investigators she disposed of the clothing she wore to conceal her identity, while Amacher said he would dispose of the gun. Amacher denied ordering the attack, but a jury convicted him on Nov. 3, 2022, of premeditated attempted murder and aiding his accomplice; he was sentenced to 18 years in prison. Larson pleaded guilty to first‑degree premeditated attempted murder and received a 16½‑year sentence.

Aftermath

The case combined traditional detective work, witness testimony, surveillance footage and modern digital forensics to identify both the shooter and the person who ordered the attack. Lenway’s survival and the prompt actions of a bystander were critical in saving her life and helping secure convictions.