911 dispatcher resigns after telling teen whose friend was shot 'deal with it yourself'

A 911 dispatcher has resigned following the release of a recording where he was heard telling a caller whose friend was shot she could "deal with it yourself."

On June 26, Esperanza Quintero, 17, called 911 in Albuquerque after her friend, Jaydon Chavez-Silver, 17, was shot at a party during a drive-by shooting. ABC News reports that on the tape, dispatcher Matthew Sanchez is heard asking Quintero multiple times if Chavez-Silver was breathing. Quintero said she was "frustrated" with being asked the question multiple times, and said, "He's barely breathing? How many times do I have to f—ing tell you?" Sanchez replied, "OK, you know what ma'am? You could deal with it yourself. I'm not going to deal with this, OK?" and then hung up.

A spokeswoman for the Albuquerque Fire Department told ABC News that "the dispatcher did dispatch units prior to disconnect" and "the response time was four minutes and 26 seconds, which exceeds national standards." Sanchez was removed from the dispatch center and placed on administrative assignment before resigning, but that's not enough for Quintero. "It was his job," she told KOAT. "I don't understand why he would've hung up. I cussed at him once. I was frantic, I was scared. You know, I'm only 17. ... He didn't talk me through it. Obviously, helping people is not for him."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Chavez-Silver died at the hospital, and no suspects have been arrested yet in connection with the shooting.