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Gunshot Victim 911: Dispatcher Says 'Deal With It Yourself,' Resigns

By    |   Wednesday, 29 July 2015 01:35 PM EDT

Gunshot Victim 911: Dispatcher Says 'Deal With It Yourself,' Resigns
(NBC News)
A 911 dispatcher in Albuquerque hung up on a woman who was treating a gunshot victim last week, and subsequently resigned on Tuesday.

Matthew Sanchez had been a 911 dispatcher for over three years, as well as a 10-year veteran of the fire department, when he took a call from 17-year-old Esperanza Quintero last week. Her friend, Jaydon Chavez-Silver, 17, was hit in a drive-by shooting. Quintero called 911 while trying to administer CPR to him, the Albuquerque Journal reported.

Sanchez asked twice if Chavez-Silver was still breathing after being shot, and Quintero admitted she was "frantic" and "scared" when she cursed back at him.

"He is barely breathing. How many times do I have to f****** tell you?" Quintero said on the call.

"OK, you know what, ma'am? You can deal with it yourself. I'm not going to deal with this, OK," Sanchez responded before hanging up.

"No! My friend is dying," Quintero pleaded.

Sanchez dispatched an ambulance to the scene of the shooting before ending the phone call, Melissa Romero, a spokeswoman for the fire department, told the Journal. The ambulance arrived in under 5 minutes.

"I was frantic. I was scared," Quintero told the Journal. "I'm only 17. I didn't know how to handle the situation. I did the best I could. I tried to stay calm."

KOB-TV reported that Chavez-Silver ultimately died.

Sanchez resigned following the death.

"Matthew Sanchez tendered his resignation of employment from the Albuquerque Fire Department effective immediately," Albuquerque chief administrative officer Rob Perry said in a statement.

Before he resigned, Sanchez was placed on "administrative assignment" pending an internal investigation into the call.

"An internal investigation has been initiated," fire chief David Downey told KOB-TV on Monday. "As the chief of the department, I am taking the allegation very seriously."



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TheWire
A 911 dispatcher in Albuquerque hung up on a woman who was treating a gunshot victim last week, and subsequently resigned on Tuesday.
gunshot, victim, 911
324
2015-35-29
Wednesday, 29 July 2015 01:35 PM
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