A 911 dispatcher accused of shutting down a Buffalo supermarket employee calling for a mass shooter who ruthlessly kills shoppers has been stopped, officials said.
Latvian, assistant manager of Tops Friendly Market, said she called 911 to report the shots, which were allegedly fired by self-proclaimed white superior Peyton Hendron, 18, at a crowded supermarket on Saturday. reported the WGRZ news station.
“I tried to call 911 and whispered because I heard it nearby,” Latisha told WGRZ. “And when I whispered on the 911 phone, the dispatcher started yelling at me, saying, ‘Why are you whispering? You don’t have to whisper.
The dispatcher did not seem to know that the shooter was already in the supermarket, where authorities said Hendron, heavily armed, was wearing a bulletproof vest.
“And I try to tell her, ‘Ma’am, he’s in the store, he’s shooting, he’s an active shooter, I’m afraid for my life,'” Latisha continued. “And she said something crazy to me and then she closed my face. And I had to call my boyfriend to call 911.
Erie County officials confirmed that the incident was being investigated, noting that “immediate action” had been taken following the alleged incident.
Latisha, an assistant manager at Tops Friendly Market, said she called 911 to report the shots. Derek Gee / The Buffalo News via AP “I tried to call 911 and whispered because I heard it [the shooter] nearby, “Latisha said. Jeffrey T. Barnes / Reuters Latisha said her dispatcher screamed in a whisper before the dispatcher locked her up. Scott Olson / Getty Images
“The person who took the call is now on administrative leave pending a disciplinary hearing, which is due to take place within a few weeks,” WGRZ County officials said in a statement.
Other calls made through the county’s 911 communications center were properly sent, prompting quick responses, the station said.
Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said the cops were at Jefferson Avenue in a predominantly black neighborhood within two minutes. Hendron was detained on the spot. He pleaded not guilty to murder in a ruthless attack that killed 10 people.
Peyton Hendron pleaded not guilty to murder in a ruthless attack that killed 10 people. Silex
An unnamed dispatcher could face disciplinary action, including termination, WGRZ reported.
Meanwhile, Latisha has worked in the Buffalo market for three years as part of her 13-year career with Tops Friendly Market, Buffalo News reported.
She attended a service Sunday at the True Bethel Baptist Church in Buffalo, where she remembers failing to get rid of the massacre the day before.
More coverage of the photos of the Buffalo supermarket
“I can’t sleep,” she told the newspaper. “I can eat a little, but I just keep hearing shots and just seeing the bodies.”
Latisha said she did not think she would be able to return to work at the supermarket.
“This store is very important to this community,” she said. “I didn’t realize how important this was until I started working there. They love this store. It’s just a traumatic experience in this community. “
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