Thursday 19 May 2022 03:43 AM 911 operator is suspended after HANGING UP on Buffalo supermarket worker who ... trends now
A 911 operator was suspended after she allegedly hung up on the upstate New York supermarket worker who called for help as white supremacist Payton Gendron, 18, (pictured) gunned down 10 black people
A 911 operator was suspended after she allegedly hung up on the upstate New York supermarket worker who called for help as a white supremacist gunned down 10 black people.
Latisha Rogers, assistant office manager at Tops Friendly Markets in Buffalo, claims she called 911 as accused gunman Payton Genrdon, 18, opened fire throughout the store on Saturday.
'I called 911, I go through the whole operator and everything, the dispatcher comes on and I'm whispering to her,' she told WGRZ Wednesday. 'I said 'Miss, please send help to 1275 Jefferson there is a shooter in the store.''
Rogers claims the dispatcher responded in a 'nasty tone' and questioned why she was whispering, before hanging up on her.
'She says 'I can't hear you, why are you whispering? You don't have to whisper, they can't hear you,'' the Tops employee recalled.
'So, I continued to whisper and I said 'ma'am he's still in the store, he's still shooting! I'm scared for my life, please send help.' Out of nervousness, my phone fell out of my hand, she said something I couldn't make out, and then the phone hung up.'
Authorities have pulled the 911 call for review and placed the operator on paid administrative leave, pending an investigation, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz confirmed to the TV station.
The operator has worked in 911 dispatch for eight years. A hearing is scheduled for May 30 in which the county intends to 'terminate the 911 call taker who acted totally inappropriately and did not follow protocol,' Poloncarz added.
Latisha Rogers, assistant office manager at Tops Friendly Markets in Buffalo, claims the dispatcher responded in a 'nasty tone' and questioned why she was whispering, before hanging up on her. PICTURED: Police responding to the shooting on Saturday
Gendron was arrested Saturday after allegedly killing 10 people at a Tops Market supermarket in Buffalo, Upstate New York. Police say the massacre was motivated by the 18 year-old's hatred for black people
While wearing military gear, Gendon opened fire with a semi-automatic weapon in the parking lot and inside the Tops Friendly Supermarket in a predominantly black neighborhood of Buffalo, New York, on Saturday afternoon. The FBI called the attack 'racially motivated violent extremism.'
The 18-year-old spent months agonizing over the details of his plan to carry out a mass shooting, according to the daily entries posted the digital message app Discord, which was provided to the Dailymail.com by the International Centre for the Study of Radicalization.
Eleven of the 13 people struck by gunfire were black. Ten of the victims were killed in the rampage, part of which the gunman live-streamed on a social media platform.
Several 911 calls were made during the grocery store massacre, Central Police Services confirmed to WGRZ.
With the exception of the incident involving Rogers, all 911 calls were handled properly and police were on-site within two minutes.
Gendron, of Conklin, NY, was arrested after surrendering to police and charged with first-degree murder, but is expected to be indicted on additional charges. He pleaded not guilty and was jailed without bail. He's due back in court on Thursday.
Officials say the unnamed dispatcher who took Rogers' call was met with 'immediate action' and face disciplinary measures including
