December 17, 2009 3:04 PM

Chris Henry 911 Call: Woman Reported Shirtless Man Beating on Back of Moving Truck (Pictures)

By
Carlin DeGuerin Miller
Topics
Daily Blotter
(Personal Photo)
(AP Photo/The Enquirer, Jeff Swinger)
(AP Photo/Barry D. Scheffel)
CHARLOTTE, NC (CBS/AP) The 911 calls relating to NFL star Chris Henry's death following a fight with his fianc?e, Loleini Tonga, have been released by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg police.

Photo: Chris Henry and Loleini Tonga.

PICTURES: Chris Henry Remembered

CBS affiliate WBTV reports that the tapes, from Dec. 16, include two calls. The first is an unidentified woman calmly telling the operator that she is driving behind a yellow truck with "a black man on it with no shirt on, and he's got his arm in a cast and black pants on," she told a dispatcher.

"He's beating on the back of this truck window... I don't know if he's trying to break in or something. It just looks crazy. It's a girl driving it." She then says that the truck turned off of the street she was driving on and that she did not follow it.

Photo: Cincinnati Bengal Chris Henry with fianc?e Loleini Tonga, and kids: DeMarcus, 10 months, Seini, 3, and Chris Jr., 2, Sept 15, 2009.

PICTURES: Chris Henry Remembered

The second 911 call is from an unidentified male who says he needs an ambulance because there is a man in his mid-20's lying in the road "definitely unconscious." When the dispatcher asks the caller if he is near the man and if he can see if he is breathing the caller says he is about 200 feet away but that there is "a crowd of people around him" and that it appeared that someone was "taking his pulse."

Photo: Chris Henry with his then-girlfriend Loleini Tonga and one of their three children at Bengals training camp.

PICTURES: Chris Henry Remembered

The man, later identified as Chris Henry, was rushed to the hospital but died around 6:36 a.m. Thursday. Henry, a receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals, was 26.

Police said the dispute began at a home about a half-mile away, and Henry jumped into the bed of the pickup truck as Tonga was driving away from the residence. Police said at some point when she was driving, Henry "came out of the back of the vehicle."


MORE ON CRIMESIDER
December 17, 2009 - Loleini Tonga, Chris Henry's Fiancee, at Center of Storm; Homicide Detectives Look into NFL Death
December 17, 2009 - Chris Henry Dead: NFL Star Thrown From Truck During Dispute with Fiancee Loleini Tonga, Say Cops

Add a Comment See all 16 Comments
by national1942 December 19, 2009 6:20 PM EST
To the best of my recollection, I've not seen anything about his 'past' involving spousal abuse. Maybe it did, but I can't recall reading about it. I just hope she doesn't end up paying for something that I feel certain wasn't her fault or her intention. My guess is that she's deeply grieving the loss of her lover and the father of their children. Neither was it his intention, I'm sure, when he jumped in the back of that truck, to die. No one knew, least of all him, I'm sure, that jumping in the back of the truck, which was likely a spontaneous reaction to her leaving, would mean that in a few short minutes he would be dead. Just a simple tragedy that no one could stop. I'm just so sorry it happened.
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by ginseng12 December 19, 2009 5:51 PM EST
Phxfire How the hell do you know this to be true.It's people like you who twist the news. Let the police find out for sure.
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by FauxNews December 19, 2009 7:23 PM EST
Yes, the police will always find the truth because nobody lies to them. By the way, do you mind if I ask what planet you are from?
by NowBeWithThat December 18, 2009 5:16 PM EST
They were arguing. It escalated to threats of violence. Then it got physical. She got scared, ran out to the truck and took off to avoid being another domestic violence statistic.

He being an athlete jumped onto the back of the truck and proceeded to bang on the truck window trying to break it with his cast. She kept driving. She speeded up to get to safety before he broke the window and grabbed her.

He lost his balance, fell off the truck bed onto the pavement where he died from blunt force trauma.

She'll spend a couple years in jail. The children will be scarred for life. Lifetime will buy the rights to the story.
Reply to this comment
by run2jazz2 December 18, 2009 2:18 PM EST
As I have said way too many times, too many in the public idolize celebrities and sports figures. They are men and women who just because they hit a homerun, dunk a basketball or score a touchdown do not make them that important in society. There are plenty of role models who do not allow money, fame or celebrity to overwhelm their lives and allow them to do so many foolish things. They live their lives without drama and seem to not allow any of the "Hype" to go to their head as it should be.
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by kay1059 December 18, 2009 12:07 PM EST
Phxfire is right, she didn't kill him. She was leaving, he followed. Abusers do that. What do you think he would've done if she had stopped the truck? I'll bet my bottom dollar she would've ended up outside of the truck and then everyone would be saying 'why didn't she just leave?' He was an abuser and he killed himself. What a shame since he had everything going for him. Some people just never learn.
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by dontknowitall December 18, 2009 10:06 AM EST
Wait until his toxology report is made public and then pass judgement.
Reply to this comment
by anti-global3 December 18, 2009 10:48 AM EST
they should do blood tests on her as well.
by MPHgrad December 18, 2009 8:23 AM EST
This is a real tragedy; three children without a father and possibly without their mother.
Reply to this comment
by askagain December 18, 2009 3:28 AM EST
Phxfire - There is a flaw in your reasoning. Loleini Tonga should have foreseen the danger of driving with Chris Henry banging on the back window. She had the option of locking the doors, stopping the truck, and waiting for help. Did she slow down or speedup? Did she attempt to pull into a police station? It appears that both contributed to negligence which resulted in his death. However, there are a lot of unanswered questions at this point.
Reply to this comment
by cidaia December 18, 2009 6:04 AM EST
The lady was right to keep driving. If she'd stopped, the animal hanging onto her car would certainly have attacked.

Obviously she was trying to escape for a reason. Don't cry for the man whose own savagery is the real cause of his death.
by blur127 December 18, 2009 1:33 AM EST
I personally know the Tonga family. They are great, loving and caring people. I've met Chris but haven't ever really talked to him. The family regularly have a luau in the backyard and invite their neighbors and friends. Sometimes over a hundred people will show up, and there is still plenty of food. They are good people, and from what I understand about the situation Chris was making changes in his life to move beyond his prior poor decisions. Please respect this family and their grief.
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by NowBeWithThat December 18, 2009 5:08 PM EST
Knowing the Tonga family socially and being a part of their lives for the better are two different things.

The neighbors of the man who murdered 11 women and dismembered their bodies told police about the barbecues he'd have and invite the neighbors.

Lots of 'good' men beat their partners.
by voxpopulus December 19, 2009 7:34 PM EST
Some people are so busy hating on men you'll never get them to acknowledge that levels of domestic violence are IDENTICAL, yes identical, in same sex relationships, even with lesbians. Most "good" people of either gender do not beat their partners. Some do.
by SusanStoHelit December 17, 2009 8:24 PM EST
I feel for the kids no matter which story is true - whether he was being abusive and she was fleeing, or he made a stupid mistake and she compounded it by not letting him get off.
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