A New Mexico dispatcher who hung up on a distressed 911 caller trying to save her friends life has resigned Tuesday, Albuquerque Fire Department officials stated.
Esperanza Quintero dialed 911 after 17-year-old Jaydon Chavez-Silver was shot at a party, according to The Washington Post. She was then directed to Albuquerque firefighter Matthew Sanchez.
“I’m doing CPR as we speak. I’m keeping him alive,” Quintero told Sanchez.
After being asked repeatedly whether or not her friend was breathing, Quintero became short and cursed at the 911 dispatcher.
“He’s barely breathing. How many times do I have to f—- tell you?” she said.
Sanchez then abruptly ended the call, stating “OK, you know what ma’am? You could deal with it yourself. I’m not gonna deal with this, OK?”
“No, my friend is dying,” Quintero pleaded before the call cut off mid-sentence.
Chavez-Silver was pronounced dead upon arrival to an Albuquerque local hospital. Police have not found the person responsible for the shooting, although it is believed that the 17-year-old was not the intended victim of the gunman, according to KRQE.
Quintero told ABC affiliate KOAT that her friend may have died regardless of how the 911 call ended. “I don’t know if he would have made it or not,” she said.
“Just a little, ‘Hey I’m here, it’s going to be OK, don’t worry,'” she said. “Something little, instead of ‘What are you doing, what are you doing, what are you doing, where are you at,’ then click.”
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I gave you attitude or I got upset with you,” she said.
She doesn’t, however, believe that her apology excuses his reaction.
Sanchez was reassigned from the dispatch center and placed on an administrative assignment. He submitted his resignation Tuesday.
Listen to the call below: