911 Operator Hangs Up on Caller, Leaves Teen to Die
A call to 911 in Albuquerque, N.M., turned into a tragic ending.
A dispatcher hung up on a woman who called because a friend of hers was shot. The call took place in late June after Jaydon Chavez-Silver, 17, was shot at a house party.
Dispatcher Matthew Sanchez appeared to get flustered after the caller uttered a profanity. The exchange, which you can hear below, went like this:
Caller: (inaudible) I’m keeping him alive.
Sanchez: Is he not breathing?
Caller: Barely. (inaudible) Stay with me. Stay with me, ok. Good job Jaydon.
Sanchez: Is he breathing?
Caller: He’s barely breathing. How many times do I have to [bleeping] tell you?
Sanchez: Ok, [you know] what ma’am? You can deal with yourself. I’m not going to deal with this, ok.
Caller: No, he’s going to die."
At that point, the call ended. Chavez-Silver ended up dying at a hospital. Albuquerque Fire Chief David Downey said, "After learning of the alleged misconduct, Driver Matthew Sanchez was immediately removed from the dispatch center and placed on administrative assignment." Sanchez, who had been with the fire department for a decade, later resigned.
The gunman has yet to be apprehended and a $4,000 reward is being offered for anyone who can help track him or her down.