Delayed Response to 2-Location Murder, Shooting

An investigation by Rome (Geo.) and Floyd County police departments has concluded that a county dispatcher failed to follow procedures when dispatching units to a double shooting that occurred at two locations separated by 17 miles. The mistake created a nearly 30-minute delay in responding to a home where Robert Spriggs Jr. was threatening a family, and later shot and wounded a resident. Spriggs fled, but was eventually talked into surrendering and was charged with murder and assault. A police report on the incident concluded that the dispatcher should have immediately dispatched units to the home in Rome where Spriggs might be heading, at the same time that officers were sent to a location in the county from which Spriggs was apparently calling on a cellular phone.

According to police, the first 911 call came from the sister of Spriggs’ ex-girlfriend, who said Spriggs was calling the family and threatening to kill Greg Davis (father of the ex-girlfriend) if he wasn’t allow to speak to his ex-girlfriend. The family said Spriggs knew where they lived and feared he would drive there to shoot them. Police now believe that at this moment, Spriggs had already shot and killed Davis.

Officers were dispatched to the father’s home in rural Floyd County, and it took almost 10 minutes for them to arrive. They found John Davis dead in his front yard from gunshots, and did not locate Spriggs.

Spriggs had apparently made the threatening calls to the family while already enroute to their house. He arrived there just one minute and 10 seconds after officers arrived at the first location. A dispatcher was still on the line with a family member when Spriggs arrived, and heard screaming in the background of the call before the line went dead. The dispatcher made several callbacks, but they all went directly to voicemail.

Sixteen seconds after the 911 call from Clinton Dr. ended, officers were dispatched to the Clinton Rd. location, and they took three minutes and 10 seconds to arrive. By then a family member had been shot and Spriggs had fled into a nearby woods.

A police timeline of the events shows that if an officer had been dispatched to the Clinton Rd. location immediately, an officer would most likely have arrived over 20 minutes before Spriggs arrived at the scene.

Download (pdf) the police investigative report on the response delay, and read a news story about the incident here.

Timeline

• 16:34:51 – Hang-up call from Davis cellular, callback, voicemail.
• 16:37:35 – Tiffany Sulsberger call from Clinton Dr., says Spriggs is calling her sister’s cell phone from her father’s cell phone, believes that means that Spriggs is at Old Dalton Rd. house. She asked for an officer to respond to Clinton Dr. because Spriggs knew that address and might be enroute.
• 16:45:39 – Dispatcher putss 911 call on hold, calls Spriggs employer to locate him, but they say he’s not at work.
• 16:47:18 – Call resumes, Sulsberger says Spriggs is on the phone now threatening to kill Davis (on Old Dalton Rd.) if Spriggs doesn’t speak to Holly Sulsberger, his ex-girlfriend.
• 16:48:04 – Dispatcher puts call on hold to speak to investigator, gives him Old Dalton Rd. info, but not Clinton Dr. call info or situation there.
• 16:50:24 – Dispatcher resumes call, Sulsberger says, “We need the police here now.”
• 16:51:23 – Floyd County officers are dispatched to Old Dalton Rd. incident, and told that suspect may have fled in a yellow Jeep, unknown direction.
• 16:56:58 – Dispatcher calls Sulsberger back, asks about Sprigg’s vehicle, which matched the yellow Jeep description given earlier to officers. Description broadcast on radio to officers, along with information that Spriggs might be enroute to Clinton Dr. location.
• 17:01:44 – A Floyd County officer arrives at Old Dalton Rd. location (9:41 after being dispatched).
• 17:02:54 – Contact on 911 call is lost with Sulsberger amid screaming heard on call, apparently when Spriggs arrives at Clinton Dr. home.
• 17:03:10 – Rome officers dispatched to Clinton Rd. location.
• 17:03:49 – Callbacks attempted to Clinton Rd. phone but voicemail only.
• 17:06:17 – Officers arrive at Clinton Rd. (3:07 after being dispatched).
• 17:06:23 – SWAT activated after victim located and suspect believed to be inside with hostages.
• 17:32:35 – Dispatcher calls AT&T to determine location of cellular phone Spriggs is using.
• 17:47:57 -SWAT arrives at Clinton Dr. location.
• 18:02:48 – SWAT enters house, rescues residents and determines Spriggs is gone.
• 18:13:40 – After calls to Spriggs’ father, Spriggs Jr. comes out of woods and surrender to police.

This map shows the various locations where the shootings occurred. Zoom in to reveal other markers.

View Floyd County Murder-Shooting in a larger map