Dispatcher To Caller: Protect Yourself, Then Shooting

The Grady County (Okla.) sheriff’s dispatcher who fielded a 911 call from a woman reporting burglars at her rural home offered some serious advice: “You have to do what you have to do to protect your baby.” During that call on New Year’s Eve, dispatcher Diane Graham told 18 year-old Sarah McKinley that she couldn’t offer advice on whether she could shoot the man who was pounding on her door. At the time, McKinley was holding a shotgun and pistol after barricading the door to her trailer with a couch. However, as Graham dispatched deputies to the scene, she made it clear to McKinley that she could protect herself if the suspect threatened her in any way. The entire 911 call with McKinley lasted 21 minutes, part of it after Graham transferred the call to the Blanchard police department, hoping their officers were closer to the incident. The suspect eventually broke into the house and McKinley fatally shot him, an event caught on the call logging tape. A second suspect fled but later turned himself in and was charged with murder. McKinley and her baby were unhurt. The incident has sparked worldwide attention, both for the incident’s drama, but also over using deadly force to protect yourself at home. Read more here, and watch a news interview with Graham after the break.