Associated Press
CHICAGO (AP) - Police are investigating why it took 17 minutes to respond to a 911 call placed by a woman who was shot to death before they arrived.
Ronyale White was found dead on her bedroom floor last Friday night, after she made three 911 calls within 10 minutes to report that her husband, Louis Drexel, was at her Chicago home in violation of a protection order. Drexel has been charged with first-degree murder.
Police arrived at White’s home 17 minutes after the first call was received at 11:40 p.m.
Chicago police and the Office of Emergency Communications want to know why the response to the 911 calls wasn’t faster.
“Our concern (is) that the response may not have been as timely as it should have been,” said First Deputy Superintendent John Thomas, who said there are no time limits for responding to a call.
Emergency communications officials asked White follow-up questions about whether weapons or alcohol were involved or if children were in the house before dispatching police officers to her home after the first call.
It took 2 1/2 minutes to dispatch a car to White’s home, which is within policy guidelines, an OEC spokesman said.
White’s 911 call was considered Priority 1A, which requires the call-taker to dispatch information “as fast as possible” but within 10 minutes after the call is received, OEC spokesman Larry Langford said. It is up to the call-taker to decide whether to send the information to a dispatcher before the call is complete, he said.
White’s information was sent at the end of the call.
In the second call, at 11:45 p.m., White said Drexel had gone outside and was puncturing the tires of her Dodge Durango, prosecutors said.
In her third call, at 11:50 p.m., White was almost whispering, according to prosecutors. She indicated Drexel had a gun and was threatening her.
Cars were dispatched after each call.