An emergency services dispatcher in Buffalo could be fired after being accused by a supermarket employee of hanging up on a 911 call during the racist shooting rampage at the store last week, the New York Times reports. The dispatcher was placed on administrative leave on Monday after an internal investigation and faces a disciplinary hearing on May 30, at which "termination will be sought," said a spokesperson for Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz. The investigation was prompted by comments to the Buffalo News from Latisha Rogers, an assistant office manager at the Tops supermarket where Peyton Gendron, a white teen, is accused of killing 10 Black people.
Rogers told the News that after calling 911 while trying to hide from the gunman, she had whispered in hopes of continuing to elude his notice. The dispatcher, she said, had admonished her. "She was yelling at me, saying, 'Why are you whispering? You don't have to whisper,'" Rogers said. She explained to the dispatcher that she was scared and didn't want the gunman to hear her. After asking for help, Rogers said the dispatcher got mad at her and hung up. The spokesperson for the Erie County executive said that the dispatcher's "action had no bearing on the dispatching of the call."
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