Man accused of Kearney murder now charged with punching fellow inmate

KEARNEY, Neb. — A man accused of murder is now facing an allegation that he punched a fellow inmate.

The state charged 26-year-old Romeo Chambers with assault by a confined person on Tuesday. In court documents, authorities say security video at the Buffalo County Jail in Kearney captured Chambers punching another inmate in the face. The documents say Chambers was having a conversation with the inmate in the day room when he became agitated, took his shirt off and then punched the other man in the cheek. The other inmate had bruising but refused medical attention. Chambers denied to jail officials that he punched the man.

Chambers is in jail on suspicion of second-degree murder and six other charges in connection to the 2022 shooting death of Jared Shinpaugh. Police say the shooting happened during an attempted robbery with large amounts of drugs present. Chambers was on the run for nearly two years before being arrested earlier this month in Arizona.

Chambers is scheduled for preliminary hearings in both the assault and the murder cases on Feb. 8.