911 tapes fom high school shooting released
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TACOMA - 911 tapes were released Thursday from the deadly shooting at Foss High School in Tacoma on Jan. 3 that took the life of 17-year-old Sam Kok.
It's apparent from the tapes that all police knew is that shots were fired inside the school, and a student was down.
No one knew who or where the shooter was.
The shooting began at 7:26 a.m., when classes were just beginning.
Dispatcher: "911. What are you reporting?"
Caller: "A shooting at Foss High School... We've had a shooting in our hallway. We need medical and police."
Dispatcher: "Anyone hit?"
Caller: "Yes, we have a student down."
Inside the school, callers knew a student had been shot, but not much more.
Caller: "One of our administrators is currently with the student who has been shot, I don't know how he is doing,"
Another teacher calls.
Dispatcher: "Do we know who did the shooting?"
Teacher: "No, not to my knowledge, all I know, I was in my classroom I heard shots outside my room."
Police are desperate to know where the suspect is and how the victim is.
Dispatcher: "We need a description! We have several officers on the way."
Teacher: "The administrator says it's extremely serious."
Dispatcher: "OK. Do you know the student?"
Teacher: "No I don't."
Dispatcher: "How may shots?"
Teacher: "I'd say there were 4 or 5."
17-year-old Sam Kok was shot 3 times. A school security officer tried CPR, while police responded to Vonitha Carter's 911 call about a suspicious man near her house - just blocks from the school.
"All I know there is a guy with black pants and a black jacket...and my dog is barking...he's on South 16th street, I just wanted to let you guys know," Carter said to the dispatcher.
Police checked and found nothing. But two hours later Carter called back. The suspicious man was back, police responded and arrested Douglas Chanthabouly, a Foss 11th grader.
"I got the suspect...I'm about to put him in my car...I got the weapon too," radioed a Kent police officer.
It had been just 2 hours and the suspect search was over and a homicide investigation was just beginning.
The police tapes also revealed that students who witnessed the shooting were able to help police identify the suspect. After interviewing students they knew who they were looking for and what he was wearing.
It's apparent from the tapes that all police knew is that shots were fired inside the school, and a student was down.
No one knew who or where the shooter was.
The shooting began at 7:26 a.m., when classes were just beginning.
Dispatcher: "911. What are you reporting?"
Caller: "A shooting at Foss High School... We've had a shooting in our hallway. We need medical and police."
Dispatcher: "Anyone hit?"
Caller: "Yes, we have a student down."
Inside the school, callers knew a student had been shot, but not much more.
Caller: "One of our administrators is currently with the student who has been shot, I don't know how he is doing,"
Another teacher calls.
Dispatcher: "Do we know who did the shooting?"
Teacher: "No, not to my knowledge, all I know, I was in my classroom I heard shots outside my room."
Police are desperate to know where the suspect is and how the victim is.
Dispatcher: "We need a description! We have several officers on the way."
Teacher: "The administrator says it's extremely serious."
Dispatcher: "OK. Do you know the student?"
Teacher: "No I don't."
Dispatcher: "How may shots?"
Teacher: "I'd say there were 4 or 5."
17-year-old Sam Kok was shot 3 times. A school security officer tried CPR, while police responded to Vonitha Carter's 911 call about a suspicious man near her house - just blocks from the school.
"All I know there is a guy with black pants and a black jacket...and my dog is barking...he's on South 16th street, I just wanted to let you guys know," Carter said to the dispatcher.
Police checked and found nothing. But two hours later Carter called back. The suspicious man was back, police responded and arrested Douglas Chanthabouly, a Foss 11th grader.
"I got the suspect...I'm about to put him in my car...I got the weapon too," radioed a Kent police officer.
It had been just 2 hours and the suspect search was over and a homicide investigation was just beginning.
The police tapes also revealed that students who witnessed the shooting were able to help police identify the suspect. After interviewing students they knew who they were looking for and what he was wearing.
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