After allegedly hanging up on a Tops supermarket employee during a May 14 shooting rampage in Buffalo, New York, a 911 dispatcher has been placed on leave.
Fox News reports a disciplinary hearing will take place about the dispatcher’s actions to determine if the worker did hang up. The hearing should take place the week of May 30.
On May 15, an investigation started as officials looked at whether the 911 dispatcher answered the call and hung up or never received the call in the first place. The dispatcher was put on leave the day after the investigation started. The actions of the employee who made the call are not connected to the dispatcher’s actions, as police were requested within thirty seconds of the first call that was made.
An employee at the store — only giving the name “Latisha” — told Fox News what she saw on the day of the shooting. She said an 18-year-old male entered the store on May 14 and started shooting. Latisha is the employee who allegedly tried to get help by calling 911, only to be hung up on by the 911 dispatcher.
All of the victims in the shooting were black, and FBI Director Christopher Wray has called the killings a hate crime.
While on the phone, Latisha talked in a whisper because she did not want the shooter to hear what she was saying. The dispatcher then started yelling at Latisha and wanted to know why she whispered and could not talk louder. Latisha then explained that the shooter was in the store and that he was actively shooting people. That’s when the dispatcher said something and hung up the phone. Latisha then contacted her boyfriend so that he could call for help, according to Fox News.
The Erie County Police Department did not offer a statement right away about the 911 dispatcher’s actions. Records of the call have been requested to determine how long it lasted.