WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina | Questions linger in 911 call in NC shooting deaths

Questions linger in 911 call in NC shooting deaths

Associated Press - November 22, 2009 6:15 PM ET

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (AP) - Police are still investigating their handling of a 911 call from the home of a North Carolina man who shot his wife and two children before he turned the gun on himself.

The Fayetteville Observer reports that while an operator followed protocol in taking the call from the home of Billy Maxwell Jr. earlier this month, investigators want to know why it took more than an hour to dispatch an officer.

Though police haven't said whether their call center equipment could have played a role, they acknowledge that it needs an upgrade.

Fayetteville's emergency operations center saw its last major upgrade in 1999. Officials learned then that the system didn't work properly.

Those problems are expected to be fixed by mid-February, when the city begins using a new, $3.2 million computer-assisted dispatch system.

Information from: The Fayetteville Observer, http://www.fayobserver.com

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