911 dispatcher resigns after telling caller, 'deal with it yourself'

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico dispatcher has resigned after telling a panicked 911 caller who was trying to save the life of a shooting victim to “deal with it yourself.”

A statement Tuesday evening from the office of Albuquerque’s chief administrative officer said that Matthew Sanchez has resigned from the fire department.

The call was made after Jaydon Chavez-Silver, 17, was shot in June as he watched other teens play cards at a friend’s house in Albuquerque. He later died. Police have not named a suspect and have made no arrests.

In the recording obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press, the panicked caller snaps at the dispatcher for repeatedly asking whether Chavez-Silver is breathing.

During the call, the female says, “I am keeping him alive!”

Sanchez asks, “Is he not breathing?”

The caller responds, “Barely!”

She is then heard frantically encouraging Chavez-Silver to keep breathing.

The dispatcher then asks again, “Is he breathing?”

The female responded, “He is barely breathing, how many times do I have to (expletive) tell you?”

“OK, you know what ma’am? You can deal with it yourself. I am not going to deal with this, OK?” the dispatcher says.

“No, my friend is dying,” she said as the call ended.