Not sure when this case happened, but it was just posted on an Emergency Dispatch website I frequent.
How do you feel about the shooting? Im guessing the State will argue he should have followed at a greater distance and kept updating the PD untill they arrived onscene.
As an Emergency Dispatcher, when people ask if they should follow a suspect, I always say if they can do so at a safe distance, and I also tell them not to speed or go through any stop signs or stop lights. I have not had any callers following a burglary suspect, only reported DWI/DUI drivers.
http://www.911dispatch.com/db/index....=2609&Itemid=1
Man Follows Burglars, Kills One During 911 Call
Monday, July 13 2009
A witness to the burglary of a propane company in Belen (NM) followed the suspects' vehicle and dialed 911 for help. But during the call the suspects pulled over, and the witness says he was forced to shoot and kill the suspect who came up and broke out his window. The Valencia County district attorney has charged Luke Sanchez with murder, although it's not clear if he'll stand trial, the DA added. Sanchez's attorney claimed the Valencia County dispatcher told Sanchez to follow the suspects, although a review of the logging tape does not confirm that. During the 5-minute call, a radio dispatcher apparently picked up the ringing 911 call to hear Sanchez report a "robbery," and then asked him questions. At one point the female dispatcher asked co-workers to take over her radio channel, and she was continuously updating other dispatchers on the details she obtained from Sanchez. Listen to the entire 911 call here, determine what information the dispatcher did and did not obtain, and consider how you would handle a similar call.