911 call news stories on Newser

911 Dispatcher Snores Through Emergency

Dustin Lushing — Wed, 23 May 2012 16:09:34 CDT

If you're in a situation where you have to dial 911, the last thing you want to hear on the other side of the phone is snoring. But that's what a Maryland woman heard when she called emergency services to help her husband, reports NBC4 in Washington . In the April...

Zimmerman: Trayvon Martin Circled My Car

Kevin Spak — Fri, 04 May 2012 14:48:21 CDT

There's a new wrinkle in George Zimmerman's version of the night of Trayvon Martin's death. Zimmerman has been telling investigators that while he was on the phone with police, Martin was circling his car menacingly on foot—so menacingly that Zimmerman rolled up his window "to avoid a confrontation," a...

NBC Fires Producer Who Edited Zimmerman Audio

Mark Russell — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 06:16:02 CDT

NBC News has fired the producer who edited the George Zimmerman 911 call that aired in the aftermath of the Trayvon Martin shooting, reports the New York Times . The producer has not been named, but reportedly was based in Miami and had worked for NBC for several years. Sources say...

Lawyer: Zimmerman Said 'Punks,' Not Slur

Mary Papenfuss — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 05:30:32 CDT

Trayvon Martin's killer has told his attorney he said "punks"—not a racist slur—seconds before shooting the black teenager—and an audio expert backs him up, reports CNN . Much has been made of the 911 call gunman George Zimmerman dialed just before the shooting, with many listeners convinced a...

NBC Apologizes for Editing of Zimmerman Call

John Johnson — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 21:03:30 CDT

NBC has issued a mea culpa for how it edited a phone call between George Zimmerman and a police dispatcher before the killing of Trayvon Martin, reports the Washington Post . In the bit that aired, Zimmerman says this: "This guy looks like he’s up to no good. He looks black....

Those Aren't Zimmerman's Cries on 911 Tape: Experts

Mark Russell — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 07:55:17 CDT

It is one of the biggest questions remaining about what happened the night George Zimmerman shot and killed Trayvon Martin—who was it heard screaming for help on that 911 call? Zimmerman claims he was the one screaming . But now two forensic experts, using different techniques, both say the voice...

Fake 911 Call Ends in Fatal Shooting

Mary Papenfuss — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 01:00:00 CDT

A Pasadena man has been charged with manslaughter after he made a 911 call in which he falsely claimed a gun-packing college student robbed him. The student, who turned out to be unarmed, was shot dead by a police officer responding to the call. The cop fired as Kendrec McDade,...

Man Tries to Get Wife Drunk So He Can Use Facebook

Kate Schwartz — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 10:08:34 CDT

Facebook, that destroyer of marriages , has come between yet another couple—who will find themselves apart for 60 days as Doyle Hardwick completes a little stint in jail. The Florida man's trouble began after he decided he just wanted to cruise Facebook in peace. But what to do with his...

Demi Moore 911 Tape: She 'Smoked Something'

Mark Russell — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 04:00:00 CST

Demi Moore had "smoked something ... similar to incense" and was "semi-conscious, barely," says the worried voice on the 911 call to get Moore help, reports the AP . When the operator asks if Moore's breathing is normal, a friend responds, "No, not so normal. More kind of shaking, convulsing, burning up,...