Murder Victim's Brother Heard In 911 Recording Saying 'My Brother's Down'
DENVER (CBS4) - A chilling 911 audio recording from last year and obtained by CBS4 this week portrays the panic in a Denver-area man's voice the night his brother was shot to death.
Ran Pal was with his brother Jimma Reat and another brother and a friend -- all Sudanese immigrants -- in April 2012 when the crime happened. Reat's family has since filed a lawsuit against the 911 dispatcher who interacted with them and the city of Denver.
Pal called for help after his group was threatened at gunpoint by several Hispanic men in a Jeep at West 10th and Sheridan in Denver. The men had shattered their window with bottles, covering them with broken glass.
Pal's group had driven into Wheat Ridge to Reat's home and then made their call to 911.
The following italicized text is a transcription of the 911 audio.
PAL: I'm just trying to recover because I got hit with a bunch of shards.
Pal was told by dispatcher Juan Rodriguez he was out of Denver's jurisdiction and to come back into Denver to meet with Denver police officers.
RODRIGUEZ: Yeah, that's going to be outside of Denver. I need you to come back to Denver so we can take a report.
In the audio, Ran tells the operator he's in shock and would rather stay where he is, not leave.
PAL: Can you just send somebody, like over, to take a report where I'm at right now. Because I just want to like kind of recover and I don't want to drive around.
Rodriguez convinced Ran to drive back to 29th and Sheridan. There Ran and his group reluctantly parked their car and put their hazard lights on so police could find them.
Minutes later, the Jeep returned and Reat was shot to death.
PAL: They're back! They're back! They're shooting. My brother's down, man. My brother's down.
MEMBER OF PAL'S GROUP: Our friend just got shot. Can you come to Sheridan and 29th?
Nearly 15 minutes after the 911 call began, police arrived on the scene. Although their Jeep was found, the killers have never been located, and Rodriguez was fired for alleged negligence.
The lawsuit is asking for unspecified money and punitive damages from both the dispatcher and the city. Earlier this week the city filed to have the lawsuit dismissed.
