Metro By T-Mobile Shooting Sparks Plenty Of Questions About Lauderhill Police Response Time
LAUDERHILL (CBSMiami) – A shooting at Metro by T-Mobile has sparked a lot of questions about police response time, but officials say the issue not that cut and dry.
Shocking images show what police say are the moments Rachel Boisette pulled out a gun and began shooting her former manager.
In his sworn statement to police, that manager said, starting at about 1 p.m., Boisette entered the business several times over the next several hours.
According to the statement, he also said he believed that she was in possession of a handgun.
That statement went on to say he called 911 several times for assistance, but no one arrived.
However, Lauderhill police say the situation is not that cut and dry.
"The caller who was on the phone was very irate with the questions being asked by dispatch to get further information on the call and they ended up hanging up on dispatch," said Maj. William Gordon with Lauderhill PD.
Gordon said officers still responded to that initial call, but Boisette had already left the scene. Gordon added that when Boisette went back to the store several other times, the additional 911 calls were just like in the original call, where the caller did not provide necessary details to the dispatcher.
"At no time was there any mention of any threats or that they were any weapons involved or anything like that. And then the caller became frustrated with the question being asked by dispatch, which is standard procedure to get personal information so the officers know if they're going into and again they hung up," said Gordon.
Officials said it wasn't until after the shooting that they became aware of the severity of the issue.
"The information that we received was that it was a trespassing call, somebody who was there who was unwanted. But there was no indication that there was a threat. There was no information that there was a weapon. If so, the priority would have been raised," said Gordon.
But there are others in the community who say they made calls the Lauderhill PD and had to wait about an hour for them to arrive.
"They take long. It's probably like an hour to 45 minutes. It looks like they just come and see what happens after the fact, leaving us out here to dry," said one Lauderhill resident who did not want to be identified.
The department stresses it's a matter of prioritizing.
"There's a specific system that they used to prioritize call for services. Obviously, we have so many officers and deputies out on the road at one time and some calls such as a burglary in progress a robbery or shooting or person with a gun have a higher priority," said Gordon.
Official say to ensure your 911 call is answered in a timely fashion, you must provide the dispatcher with the necessary details about your emergency, otherwise you risk the wrong priority being assigned to the call.
