CALHOUN, Ky. (WEHT) – According to the McLean County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO), there is a lot of misinformation going around in regards to the response to the shooting in Calhoun that occurred on February 9.
Law enforcement officials say when the call came in to dispatch it was not reported as a shooting, but instead that an 18 year old was unconscious but breathing. Officials say the call came in at 2:40 a.m., and McLean County EMS was dispatched and they arrived on scene at 2:47 a.m. Sheriff Ken Frizzell says when checking the patient EMS discovered that he had been shot.
MCSO says due to the actions of some of the people at the scene EMS determined the scene was not safe for them to remain on scene so they immediately left, staged nearby and radioed dispatch to notify law enforcement at 2:49 a.m. Frizzell says he received the call from dispatch at 2:49 a.m., so made his way there from Sacramento.
Frizzell says while getting enroute he advised dispatch to send a second unit and contact Kentucky State Police (KSP) as well. Frizzell says he arrived on scene at 3:11 a.m., and once on scene he began the process of making the scene safe. Frizzell says he cleared the residence for occupants and had all the people on scene stand a distance from residence except for the mother that was performing CPR.
MCSO says after some resistance everyone on scene complied with commands and the sheriff deemed the scene safe at 3:12 a.m. and advised EMS they could return to scene. Law enforcement officials say they arrived back on scene at 3:13 a.m., and EMS then took the victim to the hospital.
The sheriff says once a second law enforcement unit arrived on scene at 3:23 a.m., he went back in the residence with consent to survey the potential crime scene. Frizzel says once he made sure of the high probability that a crime had been committed he notified dispatch to ask that KSP send a crime scene unit and detective to the scene. MCSO says a KSP unit around 3:40 a.m., and detectives arrived sometime after 4:00 a.m.
Law enforcement officials explained that during this call the 911 dispatcher kept an open line with a caller until someone at the scene hung up the phone shortly prior to the sheriff’s arrival. MCSO says in spite that fact, several people prior to the sheriff’s arrival on scene were calling 911 at the same time thus tying up all the 911 lines and administration lines. The sheriff explained once this occurs 911 calls then roll over to Daviess County, and most 911 centers have similar systems in place.
MCSO says the dispatcher answered the calls on McLean’s lines that came through and said that she already had someone on the line in reference to the call however several people kept calling.
The sheriff posted on social media, “Despite all the rumors and false accusations the dispatcher and all emergency responders did a good job considering the circumstances of this call.”
Law enforcement officials say if anyone has any information regarding this case to contact either KSP or MCSO.
