Mom Dies After Boy's 911 Call Considered Prank
Detroit Police Investigate
UPDATED: 3:18 pm EDT April 7,
2006
  Sherrill Turner |
DETROIT -- A 6-year-old boy's 911 call for help was thought to be a prank, but the call was real and the boy's mother died, according to WDIV-TV in Detroit.Robert Turner called 911 to get help for his mother, Sherel Turner, 46, whom he found lying unconscious on the kitchen floor of their Detroit apartment in February, the station reported."Then I had felt her tummy. She wasn't breathing. Then I had called 911," said Robert. "I told them to send an emergency truck right now."911 Operator: "911. What's the problem?"Robert: "My mom has passed out."The 911 operator, however, did not take him seriously and told him to stop playing on the phone, the station reported.911 Operator: "Where's the grownups at?"Robert: (Inaudible)911 Operator: "Let me speak to her before I send the police over there.""I tried to tell them she wouldn't talk," said Robert.Robert: (Inaudible)911 Operator: "I don't care. You shouldn't be playing on the phone. Now put her on the phone before I send the police out there to knock on the door and you gonna be in trouble."Robert: "Ugh!" (Hangs up.)Kimberly Harris, the union president of AFSCME Local 1023, said more than a quarter of phone calls received by 911 operators are prank calls. She also said that everybody does not express their pain or emergencies the same way."That operator could have had five prank calls. Kids calling in prior to that call. And please, don't think that I am trying to make an excuse. That was a tragedy," said Harris.
Officials said the 911 operator will be disciplined, but because of her years of service she will not be fired."I know that operator. I know that she is a very good operator," said Harris. "She is very thorough."Robert said every time someone talks about his mother, he starts crying.Police continue to investigate.
|
Distributed by Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
911 Call Ignored
 Video: Dispatchers Sued In 911 CaseVideo: Boy Says He Called 911 To Help Mom |
Authorities release a chilling 911 call from a 19-year-old woman who hid in the back bedroom of a Central Florida home while four men attempted to break into the house.
An ex-wife of the man who found the remains of Caylee Anthony says that she thought her ex-husband was responsible for or involved in the girl's death.
Five people are dead after a mobile home fire broke out in Central Florida.
In a show of unity, Senate Democrats sealed a 60-vote majority needed to advance health care legislation Saturday ahead of an evening showdown with Republicans eager to doom the bill and inflict a punishing defeat on President Barack Obama.
Dashcam video shows a Florida woman offering an officer sex instead of getting a ticket.
A 3-year-old boy was left stranded at a commuter train platform when a door on the train malfunctioned, separating the toddler from his dad. A good Samaritan stayed with the child until the father could return. (Nov. 20)
South Carolina police say an obese man died after not moving from his recliner for the past eight months. Police say the man's body was physically stuck to the chair and firefighters had to cut him out. He died a few hours later at the hospital.
A woman tired of hearing her son say he lost another sock has come up with an idea to prevent it from happening again.
An Oregon appeals court has ruled against an Oregon high school teacher who wants to take her gun to class. She has been battling for years and says she needs the gun for protection. (Nov. 20)
Thirty Victoria's Secret supermodels take over New York's Times Square this week.
Take a quick look at the flicks headed to your multiplex. Check out the trailer, too.
Get your daily dose of the cute and unusual right here.
Email Alerts
RSS News Feeds
Mobile
Live Streams
Slideshows
Video
Search
