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- Snowstorm rescue – In Dec. 2010 a Green Lake County (Wisc.) couple slid off the highway enroute home, then decided to walk across a field to home. However, they became lost in a snowstorm and dialed 911 for help. The sheriff’s dispatcher told the couple to dig into the snow for shelter, and then gave the cellular phone’s latitude and longitude to deputies, who used a GPS device to locate Courtney Martinez and her fiancé Adam after two hours.
- Deputy shooting – In Dec. 2010 Orange County Deputy Brandon Coates was shot and killed by the driver of a vehicle he pulled over, who apparently had loot from a burglary in his truck. The suspect later shot and killed himself. The tapes include several 911 calls from citizens, and the car stop radio transmission from Coates.
- Out-of-control car – In Dec. 2010 a driver on Molokai (Hawaii) dialed 911 to say his Nissan was speeding at 100+ mph and he could not turn it off or put it in neutral. Officers positioned their patrol cars in front of Gaig Yap’s car and slowed it down before any collision.
- Murder confession – In Jan. 2011 a man walked into the Monroe Falls (Ohio) police department lobby, dialed 911 from a cellular and confessed to strangling his sister. Lawrence Hanly was arrested by officers without incident.
- Man reports shooting – On New Year’s Eve Jan. 2011 a man in rural Greeleyville (SC) dialed 911 to report that someone had stolen his truck. He called back about 18 minutes later to say that he had shot the man. Paul Baker said he used an “AK” in the shooting, and Williamsburg County sheriff’s deputies found Daniel McCarty dead in the front yard.
- Tucson Rep. Giffords murders – On Jan. 8, 2011 a man shot and killed six persons at a Tucson (Ariz.) shopping center, and wounded 12, including a U.S. Congresswoman. The suspect was quickly captured by bystanders, and many dialed 911 for help. Also listen to the radio channel and a 911 call made the next day by a friend of the suspect’s.
- Fatal fire – In Jan. 2011 a 4 a.m. house fire claimed the life of a 9 year-old girl in Hyattsville (Md.) despite the best information possible relayed by neighbor to a Prince George’s County (Md.) Public Safety Communications dispatcher. During the 8-minute call the female caller obtained information from the occupants who were able to escape, and alerted the dispatcher to downed power lines.
- Murder on tape – In Jan. 2011 the brother of a 2001 missing woman shot and killed the man who he suspected had abducted and killed his sister. The incident occurred inside a coffee shop and an employee dialed 911 to first report a fight, and then that someone had been shot. Wayne Sanchez fled the scene after shooting Maurice Nesmeh, and fatally shot himself in the parking lot.
- Bank robbery – In Jan. 2011 a robber entered a Takoma Park (Md.) bank with a gun, but an employee dialed 911 and police were sent to investigate the silent call. An officer arrived within 20 seconds, the suspect saw officers and holed up in the bank for 10 minutes. He then took a hostage and came outside to confront officers. The hostage managed to escape and the suspect was fatally shot. View video and read more here.
- Child dials 911 – In Jan. 2011 a 3 year-old dialed 911 from his Keizer (Ore.) home when his father severely cut his wrist while wood carving. AJ Hayes spoke to a dispatcher and then hung up, sparking several call-backs. Medics arrived to take father Aaron to the hospital for treatment.
- Dog attack – In Feb. 2011 a trio of dogs escaped from a yard in Arizona City (Ariz.) and attacked a 5 year-old boy. A neighbor dialed 911 to report the incident in-progress.
- Home invasion – In Feb. 2011 an 11 year-old girl dialed 911 from her Orlando home to report a home invasion robbery. Her mother was notified at work and dialed 911 while driving home.
- Murder 911 call – In Feb. 2011 a man dialed 911 and confessed to a Catawba County (NC) dispatcher that he had murdered a man in the town of Hickory. The dispatcher stayed on the phone with Michael Anderson and arranged his safe surrender to deputies.
- Plane crash – In Feb. 2011 a private plane crashed near Lafayette (Ind.), and one passenger was able to get out and dial 911 for help. Tom Williams did not know his exact location from his vantage point in a cornfield. The dispatcher told him to leave his friends and walk to a point where he could determine his location. Williams finally find a man working in a barn.
- Burglary – In Feb. 2011 a 12 year-old was home during a school holiday in Hialeah (Fla.) when two men tried to burglarize the house. She dialed 911 and was on the phone when one man entered.
- Accident / Shooting – In March 2011 a heavily-armed man crashed his car into a pole in Bellmore (NY), and then shot the first-arriving EMT. Police arrived, engaged the suspect in the car, and fatally wounded him. (Tape is condensed, first fire-EMS and then police radio.)
- Officer shot – In 1994 an Irvington (NJ) police officer was shot by a suspect who fled, and within minute fatally shot himself. Read about the incident here (pdf).
- Fatal fire – In March 2011 a fire occurred at a rural Iowa farmhouse where a woman and her two children were living. One child escaped and dialed 911, and shortly after the mother’s boyfriend also called 911. At about the same time the mother, Taren Burris, 26, called 911 from inside the house. The call lasted 20 minutes, but Burris went silent after just 7 minutes, and firefighters arrived two minutes later. Burris and a 2 year-old did not survive.
- School incident – In March 2011 a 13 year-old girl became upset when a teacher at an Atherton (N. Calif.) school got the students’ attention by picking up and dropping a table. She took a friend’s cellular phone, went to the bathroom and dialed 911, reaching an Atherton PD dispatcher.
- Accidental shooting – In Jan. 2011 a 21 year-old Florida State student was accidentally shot with a rifle being shown to her by a friend, who was arrested on manslaughter charges. Ashley Cowie died at the scene, an apartment complex, and another student was wounded in the arm.
- Murder-suicide – In March 2011 a man loaded weapons and drove to his ex-girlfriend’s house, where he killed her and her two children, and then himself. The suspect’s friend dialed 911 to give a warning, but didn’t know the girlfriend’s address. By the time deputies reached Amanda Peake’s home, all four were dead.
- Business shooting – In March 2011 a suspect shot several rounds into the front window of a Newton (Mass.) jewelry store, but no one was hit. A person inside the store dialed 911 and police arrived with 2½ minutes.
- Arson fire – In March 2011 an allegedly suicidal woman started a fire with a cigarette in Provo (Utah), and several people called 911. Yvette Kimber was arrested after two people died in the apartment building fire, and another was seriously injured.
- Shoot-out – In Jan. 2011 a 911 caller tipped Kitsap County (Wash.) sheriff’s deputies that a man was living with a 13 year-old runaway. When deputies confronted the man and girl at a Wal-Mart, Anthony Martinez pulled a gun and began shooting. Martinez killed the girl and wounded two deputies, and then killed himself.
- Unconscious woman – In March 2011 a man in Georgetown (Ohio) dialed 911 to report his wife was unconscious, possibly from a heroin overdose. A Brown County dispatcher talked to Robert Crane for 13 minutes as EMS were enroute.
- Officer shooting – In March 2011 an Athens-Clarke County (Geo.) officer was killed and another wounded when they confronted a robbery and kidnapping suspect. Logging tapes document the victim calling after he escaped from the trunk, the search for the car, radio transmissions reporting an officer shooting, 911 calls from citizens reporting the shooting, and associated dispatcher telephone calls.
- DUI arrest – In March 2011 a motorist spotted a wrong-way driver in Campbell County (Virg.), and dialed 911 to report it. The caller followed the car for about 11 miles before officers stopped it and arrested an off-duty Bedford County sheriff’s deputy.
- Burglary – In April 2011 a woman heard someone ring her doorbell, but ignored it. She then heard someone break into her home in Livingston (Mich.). and dialed her husband for help—who told her to dial 911. In a whisper, Susan Fraser stayed on the phone until state troopers arrived to arrest a neighbor’s son for burglary.
- Shootings – In May 2011 a man shot and killed his estranged wife and another man during a child custody transfer in Sylva (NC). A witness dialed 911 to report the incident (names edited out).