New records obtained by the attorney for a Dallas domestic violence victim detail what they claim to be failed response to repeated 911 calls before a shooting that left her paralyzed.
New records obtained by the attorney for a Dallas domestic violence victim detail what they claim to be failed response to repeated 911 calls before a shooting that left her paralyzed.
Police did not reach Roxanna Mayo until after the Jan. 19, 2015, attack by her former boyfriend.
"I expected them to be there," Mayo said. "I wouldn't be paralyzed if they had shown up the first time or the second time or even the third time."
Mayo said she ran a successful salon before the shooting but is unable to support her four children now as she receives care in a nursing home.
"I'm blessed to be alive so I try to count my blessings every day, but my family is just torn apart," Mayo said.
Records show police received at least two of the four 911 calls that appeared on Mayo's 12-year-old daughter's cell phone that day, according to Dallas attorney Bill Masterson, who is representing Mayo in a lawsuit against the city.
Masterson said the Dallas 911 equipment failed to properly identify the location for officers.
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"I think they should have been able to expect a better job of locating where they were and a faster response," he said.
A 911 recording of one call from the daughter was made at 4:40 p.m., 26 minutes before a neighbor called to report the 5:06 p.m. shooting.
"My step dad is hitting my mom, and we're in the middle of the street. He threw a beer at my mom's face," the girl said.
The girl told the 911 operator that the man had a gun and she had seen him with it that day. She described the location near Thurgood Marshall Elementary School.
"OK, we've got the call in. We'll get officers down there for you," the operator said.
The shooting happened inside the woman's apartment. When police arrived afterward, Mayo said officers poked her as she lay paralyzed on the floor.
"They were just kind of mocking me and laughing at me, and they said, 'Calm down, you just have one bullet wound,'" Mayo said.
She said the bullet went through her lung and lodged in her spinal cord where it cannot safely be removed.
Records show 16 different Dallas police officers were involved in the final response and suspect arrest, but Masterson said he has been unable to determine which officers spoke to the victim.
Mayo said she hopes her lawsuit will help her support her children and fight domestic violence.
Masterson said Texas law limits liability for cities to $200,000 but equipment failures or misuse of personal property could increase a possible settlement.
Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings made domestic violence a top priority for the city. Dallas police promised 911 improvements after past response failures.
The Dallas Police Department declined comment on this pending lawsuit Thursday, and the city attorney was unavailable.
