Police officers unintentionally killed a 'Cops' TV series crew member after open firing to impede a robbery attempt at a fast-food chain in Omaha, killing the assailant as well.

In the 25-year history of the long-running series, audio technician Bryce Dion was the first to get killed while working on the hit TV show, CNN reported Wednesday.

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Dion was in Omaha during the summer to assist in the filming of future 'Cops' episodes and had been with the show since 2009.

Langley Productions, the production company behind the hit series, expressed their sadness and surprise towards what had happened to Dion, adding that they are working on helping his family cope with the loss and describing him as a 'very talented and dedicated person.'

Late Wednesday, Omaha police Chief Todd Schmaderer confirmed that a bullet fired by a police officer was what killed Dion.

Reportedly, Dion was also a close friend of many of the Omaha police officers, many of which are grieving the loss, the Omaha police chief stated during the press conference.

According to reports, the 'Cops' audio technician and a cameraman rode with the police who responded to the crime at a Wendy's restaurant late on Tuesday.

The 32-year-old suspect, Cortez Washington, shot at the police officers with what they initially thought was a real gun. After police had returned fire, the wounded suspect bolted outside the restaurant and later collapsed.

During the encounter, officers continued firing in pursuit of the suspect. In an unexpected turn of events, the 38-year-old 'Cops' crew member was also struck and later died due to a single bullet that 'slipped into the gap' of the bulletproof vest he wore and went straight into his chest.

After investigations were made, authorities found out that the suspect was only using an Airsoft gun, which mimics the physical features and sounds of a real handgun but only fires plastic pellets.

TagsCops, police shootout, Robbery, crew member, crew member dies, cops tv