New Mexico Dispatcher Placed On Leave After Telling Panicked 911 Caller With Dying Teen To ‘Deal With It Yourself’ Before Hanging Up
A New Mexico dispatcher was placed on leave and is now under scrutiny after telling a panicked 911 caller – who was aiding a shot, dying 17-year-old boy – to “deal with it yourself” during an argument before handing up on her, reports KOMO News.
During a house party on June 26, Manzano High School student Jaydon Chavez-Silver of Albuquerque was shot just five minutes upon his arrival by someone outside of the home, and was rushed to a local hospital where he later died.
The motive for the unexpected shooting has yet to be determined, and no one has been arrested in connection to the New Mexico house party slaying.
Jaydon Chavez-Silver, 17, was watching friends play cards when a bullet struck http://t.co/cfcwNNB2Nm w/@PerezNicoleM pic.twitter.com/JtRiVoh8ee
— Robert Browman (@robbrow) June 28, 2015
However, police have since launched an investigation following the teen’s death after hearing the recordings of a 911 dispatcher telling the caller to “deal with it yourself” before hanging up on her.
After the teen was shot, his panicked friend – whose name has not been released – called 911 dispatched while attempting to resuscitate the teen. She was heard countless times saying, “He’s barely breathing” and became increasingly upset at how many times dispatcher Matthew Sanchez asked if he was breathing or not.
She finally snaps and says, “He’s barely breathing. How many times do I have to f****** tell you?”
“Ok, you know what ma’am?” Sanchez responded. “You could deal with it yourself. I’m not gonna deal with this, okay?”
In the recording, which was released to the public on Monday, the woman is heard saying the boy is dying before being cut-off in mid-sentence when Sanchez hung up the phone.
Nevertheless, Sanchez did manage to send paramedics to the scene before hanging up on the panicked 911 caller.
The mother of the teen who was shot dead heard the recordings and was in disbelief at how the 911 dispatcher handled the call and has voiced their concerns, but at “the same time, they want to want to focus on catching the people who did this.”
His family has offered a reward to anyone who will come forward with any information regarding the death of Jaydon Chavez-Silver.
“They have complete confidence in the Albuquerque Police Department and they’re sure that the detectives are doing all they can to find the people who did this.”
The dispatcher has since been placed on administrative leave while an investigation is underway.
“After learning of the alleged misconduct, driver Matthew Sanchez was immediately removed from the dispatch center and placed on administrative assignment,” said the Fire Chief Dave Downey in a statement. “An internal investigation has been initiated. As the chief of the department, I am taking the allegation very seriously.”
[Image courtesy of Seattle Municipal Archives / Flickr / Creative Commons]
