Erie County 911 Operator Who Hung Up On Mass Shooting Call Fired
The 911 dispatcher who hung up on a Tops employee who called in about the active shooter situation has been terminated from her job. The operator had previously been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation. A closed-door hearing was held regarding the call taker's conduct during the mass shooting call and previous calls she took were also considered. Erie County Legislator April Baskin said,
It is the priority of Erie County, the county executive and the honorable body of the Legislature to make sure that everybody that has a responsibility in terms of public safety is working for the county is doing that to their utmost ability and it is obvious that that call was not handled in a professional way.
The 911 operator failed the young lady, who was in a life or death situation.
I'm scared for my life.
A young lady who worked at the Tops Friendly Market on Jefferson Avenue in Buffalo spoke about how rude and unhelpful the 911 operator was to her when she was trying to report the active shooting. The was hiding, trying to save her own life as the shooter methodically walked around the store shooting Black people. According to Leticia, who worked as an assistant manager at the store, as she was trying to avoid being seen or heard by the mass murderer Payton Gendron, she was able to use a phone to call 911.
911 Operator Questioned Why Victim Was Whispering
Leticia told WGRZ anchor Claudine Ewing how the 911 operator, a woman, yelled at her for whispering.
I tried to call 911 and I was whispering cause I could hear him close by. And when I whispered on the phone to 911, the dispatcher start yelling at me saying 'why are you whispering, you don't have to whisper.' And I'm trying to tell her ma'am he's in the store, he's shooting, he's an active shooter. I'm scared for my life. And she said something crazy to me, and then she hung up in my face. I had to call my boyfriend and tell him to call 911.
Credit: 11Alive via Youtube
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