Murder Victim Found, 911 Call Questioned

Police who located a body in a Memphis (Tenn.) field on Wednesday say it is former pro basketball player Lorenzen Wright, and that he was killed by a gunshot. Police also revealed that was possibly Wright who dialed 911 on July 19th, the day he disappeared, and that the cellular call was answered by a Germantown dispatcher. Sources told reporters that during the call, a male voice uttered an expletive, and then at least 10 gunshots could be heard. The calltaker called the number back, the souces said, but there was no answer. It’s not clear who owned the cellular phone, although police say Wright was using it, and it’s also not clear what information was displayed to the calltaker when the call was answered. Germantown police chief Richard Hall said an investigation is underway to determine exactly how the call was handled. Wright’s family reported him missing four days after the 911 call. However, three jurisdictions were involved in the incident—Wright was visiting in Collierville, the call was answered by Germantown, and Wright’s body was found in Memphis—and information may not have been shared among the jurisdictions. Read more about the incident here. Update: The incident has re-prompted discussions about a consolidate public safety comm center for the county, and questions why agencies are opposed to such a move.