Deputies Take 38 Minutes To Respond Despite Six 911 Calls

POSTED: 4:26 pm EDT September 25, 2007
UPDATED: 5:20 pm EDT September 25, 2007

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — People living in two homes near Lake Sherwood in West Orange County called 911 at least six times after they heard nearly a dozen gunshots fired near their home. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office admits it may have responded too slowly to the calls for help.

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LISTEN TO CALLS: 911 Calls Of ‘Shots Fired’ Reports
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People who live along the bank of small Lake Sherwood said they could see the dark figures on the shore firing a weapon their way, but what they did not see is a deputy for nearly 40 minutes after calling 911.

“911, what’s your emergency?” the 911 dispatcher asked.

“I’m sitting out on my deck out here and I just heard somebody shoot a pistol,” the caller said.

That call came first, as someone was shooting across the lake, but it was far from the last call.

“911, what’s your emergency?” the dispatcher asked during a later call.

“Fifth call, we’re being shot at on Lake Sherwood,” the caller said.

As shots continued, so did the calls for help.

“We can see the perpetrator. My neighbor felt the bullet whiz by his head,” the caller told the 911 dispatcher.

Residents made at least six calls, even identifying the location of the gunman, but still no response from deputies.

“We saw a couple of figures about half way down,” said a resident, who doesn’t want to be identified.

He said he was astonished at the length of time the sheriff’s office took to respond, after he made three calls himself.

“I was actually on the phone with 911 and shot number eight and nine went off, while I was on the phone with him. There just no response. We were being shot at and no one was coming out to help us,” he said.

The residents brought their complaints to Channel 9, who asked the sheriff’s office to review the calls.

“Our concern is, should that call have been a higher priority?” WFTV reporter Steve Barrett asked the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

“We’re going to look into that,” said Jim Solomons, Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

The sheriff’s office is investigating the incident, hoping to correct any breakdown in the system.

“Quite simply, it was a shots fired call and it took 38 minutes for us to respond to that call. Bottom line is the folks at communications are investigating and the patrol division who supervises the deputies, they’re looking into it,” Solomons said.

Keep in mind the sheriff’s office receives several calls about shots fired everyday, sometimes up to ten or more. But, in this case, the question is why did the continued gunfire not rise to a higher level of priority for response. That is what the sheriff’s office says they are committed to finding out.

The Second Amendment IS Homeland Security !