This story previously aired on Oct. 7, 2023. Nicole “Nicki” Lenway, a crime scene investigator for the Minneapolis Police Department, was gunned down in broad daylight shot twice at point-blank range in a parking lot on the evening of April 20, 2022. “Someone wanted me dead,” Lenway tells “48 Hours” correspondent Erin Moriarty in her first television interview. Lenway was shot while picking up her child from a parenting center. “That’s when my life changed forever. I’m halfway in between my vehicle and the door. And this person comes running up from behind me,” Lenway tells Moriarty. “Shots were being fired. I fell to the ground . And the shooter stands over me and continues to try to shoot . I felt my neck and then could see the blood.” The shooting was caught on surveillance video. It was also witnessed by a woman in her car sitting at a red light. “I spread quickly that a Minneapolis police employee had been shot. Nicole’s then-boyfriend, Minneapolis Police officer Donovan Ford, was at home. Erin Moriarty: What is it like to get that phone call that the woman you love has just been shot? Donovan Ford: I had no words. I went flying down to the hospital. I was in a panic. When Ford arrived at the Hennepin County Medical Center, he wasn’t prepared for what he saw. Donovan Ford: She was basically unconscious . She had tubes down her throat and all that. Erin Moriarty: When you did finally get to talk to a doctor, what did they tell you? Donovan Ford: She’s in bad shape. We’re going to do our best to, you know, save her life, essentially. Nicole had a perforated lung, severe damage to her vocal cords and a bullet lodged between two of her ribs. She was in critical condition. Donovan Ford: I’m in law enforcement, so when they say critical, that means essentially they’re close to the end. Nicki Lenway: I found out then I was pregnant. And he wanted me to get rid of the baby. And I told him I just couldn’t. And I was in a state of panic. AT WAR OVER A LITTLE BOY OFFICER (April 20, 2020 | body cam video): Are are you Timothy, sir? TIM AMACHER: Yes. OFFICER: OK, right now, I’m gonna ask you if I can search you for weapons real quick, OK? TIM AMACHER: For weapons? OFFICER: Yeah. Detectives needed to know all about Nicki’s relationship with her son’s father, Tim Amcher. TIM AMACHER: Why would I have weapons here? OFFICER: There was a shooting that happened. TIM AMACHER: OK Which, that had nothing to do with me. OFFICER: Right. The investigation would track a trail that led back to the fall of 2015, when Nicole first learned she was pregnant, with the taekwondo Master she alleged had abused her. Nicole Lenway: It just got more and more volatile. Claire Zellmer: We were so excited for them to be having a baby. That’s a momentous event a happy thing to normal people. But the only thing normal was the irrepressible joy of a new mother. She named him Callahan. Nicole Lenway: He was born on June 20th of 2016. He was a big boy. And he was perfect. Claire Zellmer: And then she gave him the last name Amacher. Nicole was the primary caregiver. But sometimes Cal stayed with his dad. Erin Moriarty: Did you feel that co-parenting was working? Nicki Lenway: I felt like it could. But he wasn’t always reliable, says Nicole. When she needed him most, Amacher was halfway around the world. Pat Zellmer: Tim went to Thailand and totally bailed on Christmas and New Year’s. Amacher may not have been a hands-on dad, but someone else was ready to step in: Colleen Larson, his longtime taekwondo student who was renting that room in Tim’s house. Charlie Dettloff: She was . very kind to Callahan, she was a good caregiver to him. And with unpredictable hours with the Minneapolis Police Department, the arrangement seemed to work for Nicole. Nicki Lenway: My son really seemed to like her. When the once young taekwondo student turned 18, her relationship with Tim Amacher quietly changed according to Dettloff. Erin Moriarty: Did you get the sense he was in love with Colleen? Charlie Dettloff: No. Not at all. I think she was very much in love with him. Dettloff says Amacher called the relationship “easy.” Charlie Dettloff: She would call him “Master.” Erin Moriarty: At the house? Charlie Dettloff: Yep, Master Amacher. And ultimately kinda became, you know, like a maid or a servant to him. Then, in the summer of 2017, Nicole’s life took a dramatic turn. Erin Moriarty: Do you remember when you first met Nicole? Donovan Ford: Absolutely. It was the kind of love at first sight that only a cop on the beat could have. Donovan Ford: First time I ever saw her was on a burglary call. I definitely took notice at that point. Erin Moriarty: Why? Donovan Ford: She’s gorgeous. And to Donovan Ford, intriguing. Donovan Ford: She processed the scene. Erin Moriarty: So, she was a member of the real CSI. Donovan Ford: Oh, yeah. Nicole Lenway: He knew that I was a single mom. And he was divorced. Erin Moriarty: When I just mentioned his name you lit up. Why is that? Nicole Lenway: He is truly the love of my life. He has been the biggest blessing to myself and my son. Erin Moriarty: And he’s been through a lot with you, hasn’t he? Nicole Lenway: He has. Nicole’s already difficult relationship with Amacher only got worse when Tim discovered she was dating Donovan Ford, who was fast becoming part of Callahan’s life. Erin Moriarty: Did the way Donovan Ford: And I was like, “are you serious?” And she’s like, “yup.” And then we’re just hugging and happy. As for the child Nicole had with Tim Amacher Erin Moriarty: How old is Callahan now? Nicki Lenway: He’s 6. Erin Moriarty: Does he know that his dad tried to kill you? Nicki Lenway: He does now. Erin Moriarty: And how did he take that? Nicki Lenway: Better than I thought he would. Donovan Ford: He’s come out amazing . That’s a miracle too, just him being able to deal with all the stuff he’s been through and still be the kid he is. If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic abuse, call 1-800-799-SAFE or visit thehotline. org. “48 HOURS” POST MORTEM What would you do if you saw someone shoot a stranger in broad daylight? Correspondent Erin Moriarty and host Anne-Marie Green discuss the case of the crime scene investigator Nicki Lenway in this week’s podcast. Produced by Betsy Shuller and Jamie Stolz. Elena DiFiore is the development producer. Doreen Schechter is the producer/editor. Tamara Weitzman and Michelle Sigona are development producers. Atticus Brady and Joan Adelman are editors. Shaheen Tokhi is the associate producer. Patti Aronofsky is the senior producer. Nancy Kramer is the executive story editor. Judy Tygard is the executive producer.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nicki-lenway-shooting-tim-amacher-colleen-larson-minnesota-48-hours/