By Nicholas Stix
Thanks to Klejdys for the heads-up.
The neighbor who called 911 after hearing a gunshot from Dan Markel’s home, had walked over to Markel’s driveway, where the garage door was open, and seen Markel’s driver side window smashed open, Markel’s head covered in blood, and Markel still moving slightly, though unresponsive to the man’s voice. The man repeatedly told the dispatcher that Markel had been shot—though he wasn’t sure if he’d shot himself or someone else had shot him—was gravely wounded, and that if EMTs didn’t get there fast, he wouldn’t make it. The neighbor said many of these things three times. He also emphasized that the dispatcher needed to send the ambulance before asking further questions. The dispatcher strung him along for 12 minutes before revealing that he was first sending a police squad, not an ambulance.
The call, which should have been priority 1, was downgraded to priority 3—no big deal.
Had the dispatcher done his job, Markel might still be alive.
Although several media outlets claimed that the police had released an “edited transcript” of the call, none of them published said transcript. Either they are lacking decency, or they don’t know the difference between a transcript and a recording.
I initially suspected that this was a case of a malevolent, black AA dispatcher, but the moron in question sounds like a white guy.
Link to edited 911 call recording.
Dying Dan Markel Waited 19 Minutes for Ambulance — Call Given Low Priority
'He's Still Alive:' Frantic 911 Caller Pleads for Help
By Forward Staff
Published August 01, 2014.
The Forward
It took an ambulance a shocking 19 minutes to reach law professor Dan Markel as he lay dying in his car from a gunshot wound after a neighbor called 911.
Despite the frantic calls for help, emergency dispatchers mistakenly assigned the incident a low priority — meaning even police failed to arrive until 15 minutes after Markel was ambushed by a mystery assailant as he pulled into the driveway of his home on July 18, the Tallahassee Democrat newspaper reported.
“You need to send an ambulance in a hurry,” the 911 caller said, according to an edited copy of a transcript released by authorities. “He’s still alive, he’s still moving.”
During the chilling 911 call, Markel’s neighbor stressed the urgency of the situation.
“The driver’s side window is all bashed in and he’s got blood all over his head,” the caller added. “He’s not responding to me. … I think you need to hurry.”
For unknown reasons, Tallahassee 911 dispatchers assigned the call a priority 3, instead of the most-urgent priority 1 that a shooting would normally command.
It’s unclear if the dramatic delay cost Markel his life or if it prevented police from catching his killer in the moments after the crime.
The 911 caller, who had already heard a gunshot, said he saw the garage door of Markel’s home open. He approached the car and found Markel bleeding in the car.
“His driver’s side window was shattered and he was spattered and can’t answer,” the man told the dispatcher, speaking calmly throughout the call. “I don’t know if somebody tried to shoot him or he shot himself, I don’t know.”
After waiting 12 minutes, the dispatcher finally told the caller that a police officer — not an ambulance — was near.
“OK, well, we need EMT,” the caller told the dispatcher.
The dispatcher replied: “The officer is going to be there first. (EMT) aren’t going to come until we figure to what’s going on, but they are on the way as well.”
“They’d better be if this guy’s got a shot (at) living,” the caller replied.
The average response time in Leon County, which includes Tallahassee, is 8.7 minutes, the paper reported.
Dr. Dean Watson, chief medical officer at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, said response times by emergency officials can mean the difference between life and death.
“Response times are crucial for any emergency, but especially crucial in circumstances where there may be a life-threatening injury or trauma,” Watson said in an email to the newspaper.
Police have pleaded for help in the puzzling case and have not discussed any suspect or possible motive.
They say Markel was the “Intended victim” in the murder, and have ruled out robbery or a random attack.
Right, when the dispatcher heard the man was shot and bleeding from the head there should have been an immediate response to send the EMT. But perhaps the police have some protocol about first having an officer on the scene.
ReplyDeleteBeing a moron seems to be the main qualification for a 911 dispatcher. Remember the Cleveland serial rapist holding women in his house last year? The dispatcher in that instance had the same bored, indifferent tone as this one.
ReplyDeleteDavid In TN
I just heard the Cleveland 911 call again and he actually sounds competent and interested compared to the dispatcher in the Markel case.
ReplyDeleteDavid In TN
For your information the callers responses are being typed and the EMT's notified as the dispatcher is talking. With that said if it still took 19 mins for a response or if the dispatcher didn't make it a priority call then a investigation is warranted and people held accountable.
ReplyDelete"The dispatcher in that instance had the same bored, indifferent tone as this one."
ReplyDeleteI remember that call in Cleveland. The victim held a sex slave for years, when she repeated something about being kidnapped the bored 911 female (black?)dispatcher said, "I got that."
Two South Florida gang types have been arrested. It is thought the family of Markel's wife enlisted them.
ReplyDelete