911 Dispatcher Yelled & Hung Up On Buffalo Shooting Call
Latisha Rogers called 911 during the Buffalo shooting at Tops Friendly Market last weekend, when a dispatcher yelled and hung up on her.
Buffalo News has reported a case of extreme negligence during the Buffalo shooting at Tops Friendly Market last Saturday. According to the article, an unnamed 911 dispatcher has been placed on administrative leave and now faces termination after reportedly yelling at and hanging up on Tops Friendly Market assistant office manager Latisha Rogers during the shooting.
According to Rodgers, the 911 dispatcher yelled at her for whispering during the call.
“She was yelling at me, saying, ‘Why are you whispering? You don’t have to whisper,’” Rogers told the Buffalo News, “and I was telling her, ‘Ma’am, he’s still in the store. He’s shooting. I’m scared for my life. I don’t want him to hear me. Can you please send help?’ She got mad at me, hung up in my face.”
At the time of the shooting, Rodgers was standing behind the customer service desk when the gunman, 18-year-old Payton Gendron, entered the market, having already shot victims in the parking lot. After the 911 dispatcher hung up, Rodgers then called her boyfriend to alert authorities.
“I felt that lady left me to die yesterday,” Rodgers said.
Latisha called 911 for help while on the floor inside Tops as people were being shot to death. Officials say the 911 operator’s response was “completely unacceptable” and the worker could be terminated. For now she is on paid leave @WGRZ pic.twitter.com/U3S6Zqsu1D
— Claudine Ewing (@ClaudineWgrz) May 19, 2022
Erie County spokesperson Peter Anderson has revealed that the 911 dispatcher was employed by the county for eight years and will face a disciplinary hearing on May 30, where “termination will be sought,” according to The New York Times.
10 people were killed and 3 people were injured during the mass shooting, where Gendron live-streamed the attack through head-mounted camera gear on his helmet on Twitch. The live-stream was removed less than two minutes after it began, but Gendron was apprehended by Buffalo police upon leaving the store.
Prior to the shooting, Gendron wrote an 180-page manifesto, claiming to be white supremacist and citing the “Great Replacement Theory” as reason for the shooting. Gendron, who has plead not guilty to first-degree murder, appeared in court Thursday during a grand jury indictment attended by some relatives of the victims. Currently in jail, Gendron is due back in court June 9th.
