- A 911 dispatcher who allegedly hung up on a witness reporting the Buffalo mass shooting has reportedly been placed on leave.
- An assistant manager at the store claimed she called 911 when she heard gunshots, but the dispatcher "hung up in my face."
- The dispatcher has been placed on leave pending a disciplinary hearing, local NBC News Outlet WGRZ reported.
A 911 dispatcher who allegedly hung up on a Buffalo, New York, Tops employee trying to report the active shooting in her store has been placed on leave, Erie County confirmed to local NBC News Outlet WGRZ.
The county — which runs the 911 communications center through Central Police Services — confirmed they're investigating the dispatcher and that "immediate action was taken and the individual who took that call is now on administrative leave pending a disciplinary hearing, which should happen within a couple of weeks," WGRZ reported.
Once the investigation is complete, the dispatcher could be fired or face other disciplinary action, according to WGRZ.
The mass shooting at the Buffalo supermarket on Saturday left 10 people dead. Police arrested an 18-year-old white suspect in the shooting and alleged he targeted the grocery store in order to kill Black people.
The store's assistant manager, Latisha, told WGRZ on Saturday that when she first heard gunshots, she dropped to the ground.
When the gunman didn't stop shooting, she said she called 911.
"I tried to call 911, and I was whispering because I could hear him close by," Latisha told WGRZ.
"And when I whispered on the phone to 911, the dispatcher started yelling at me saying 'Why are you whispering? You don't have to whisper.' And I'm trying to tell her like, 'Ma'am, he's in the store. He's shooting. It's an active shooter. I'm scared for my life.' And she said something crazy to me and then she hung up in my face."
Latisha said she had to call her boyfriend and tell him to call 911. She claims he is the one who got through and got emergency services to the scene.
—India Walton From Buffalo (@Indiawaltonbflo) May 16, 2022
Other 911 calls also reported the shooting, according to WGRZ. Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said police were at the scene within two minutes, WGRZ reported.
The shooting suspect has been charged with first-degree murder and may also face domestic terrorism charges, the district attorney in the case told Insider.