A grieving wife alleges that a local police department in Colorado took an hour to respond to her 911 call reporting that her husband was taken hostage, at which point he had been shot dead, KKTV reports.
On Friday, Talija Campbell said she got an urgent text message from her husband, Qualin Campbell, that read “911” and “Send Please!” along with his location and an image of a man sitting in a vehicle, according to the television station.
Talija believed her husband was being held hostage and she called 911. She was transferred to another dispatcher, who said an officer would investigate.
However, Talija said she felt police lacked a sense of urgency, so she went to the location with her uncle and they found him and another man dead shortly after 2 p.m. It had been about one hour since Talija first got the text message.
“I shouldn’t have been the one there, the first person to respond,” Talija told The Associated Press.
Her uncle again dialed 911 and police responded shortly after.
“Upon arrival, they located two deceased, adult males. The Colorado Springs Police Department Homicide Unit continued the investigation. Currently, there are no threats to the community,” a Colorado Springs Police Department online crime report states.
Harry Daniels, Talija’s attorney, issued a press release on Monday raising concerns about how long it took for the police department to respond.
“The Colorado Springs Police Department and EI Paso County can make all the excuses they want, but the facts are simple,” Daniels said in the written statement, according to KKTV. “This was a hostage situation where Qualin Campbell was begging for his life, his wife called 911, the police were less than a mile away but they never responded. Let’s be clear. If the police don’t respond to a hostage situation, none of us are safe.”
A police spokesperson said the agency cannot comment on an ongoing investigation.
A GoFundMe campaign is raising money for the couple’s two daughters and described Qualin as a devoted family man.
“Talija and Qualin share a beautiful love story and were married seven years. She and their two daughters relied on Qualin to provide for the family. His family are having to cope with the untimely and unexpected death of their husband, father and provider,” the GoFundMe page reads.
“Originally from Newman GA, Qualin was a member of Phi Beta Sigma and very active in his community. His heart for others was selfless and his commitment to serving others was unmatched.
“Qualin’s family is devastated and will have to pull together to face this tragedy and deal with the emotional, physical and financial effects from him unexpectedly taken from them. Qualin was a loving husband, dedicated father, son, brother, and employee.”
The family recently moved to Colorado Springs from Georgia, according to WSB-TV.
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[Feature Photo: GoFundMe]
