By Todd Cooper
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

A year ago, Bria Bell sat next to her boyfriend in a west Omaha apartment.

It was early on a Friday night, and Bria and seven teenagers were talking about what to do, about whether to go to a high school basketball game.

Then Bria's boyfriend pulled a 9 mm handgun from his pocket and began to show it off.

Bria recoiled.

“Hey,” she told him. “Put that away or leave.”

Others in the apartment, near 120th and Blondo Streets, echoed that.

“Put it away,” they hollered.

But the boyfriend, Calvin D. Jones, son of the former Husker running back by the same name, didn't put the gun away. Instead, he flashed it at Bria, as if to show her the safety was on, according to those gathered.

“Babe,” he said, “look.”

He pressed it to her temple. Bria turned to get up, to get away from him, when Jones and everyone else there found out the safety wasn't on.

A bullet entered Bria's left eye, passed through her brain and exited behind her right temple.

Bria, then 17, crumpled to the floor. Their ears ringing, some of the teenagers ran.

Jones sprinted out and ditched the gun, then returned to Bria's side.

Someone called 911. With Bria choking on blood, Jones, 17, administered CPR. Another teen started chest compressions.

Paramedics arrived and rushed her away.

The teen who had been pounding on Bria's chest called out.

“It was an accident, Bree,” he shouted. “Everything's going to be OK.”

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