Milwaukee 911 delay: Victim's attorney says problems 'systemic'

MILWAUKEE - The attorney representing a 99-year-old Milwaukee woman, who was beaten in her own home in July, is demanding accountability and pointed to "systemic" problems with how the city classifies 911 calls.

What we know:

In late July, a 99-year-old woman named Shirley was attacked in her home and waited hours for help to arrive. Prosecutors said that the attacker was a stranger.

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The victim's attorney, Chris MacGillis, said Shirley has had several surgeries, is bound to a wheelchair and requires around-the-clock care. He said he is negotiating with the City of Milwaukee, but if a settlement resolution is not reached, he is prepared to take the matter to court within 30 days.

MacGillis said the issue would be brought to Milwaukee County Circuit Court, specifically. Lawsuits filed in Wisconsin county circuit courts cap damages at $50,000, to shield municipalities from bankruptcy, but that's not the case in federal court.

What you can do:

MacGillis announced a GoFundMe online fundraiser was created to support the victim. The GoFundMe page says donations would go toward medical bills and assisted living expenses.

What we don't know:

FOX6 News reached out to Tony Bueno, the Department of Emergency Communications director, for a response to MacGillis' comments. A city spokesperson said: "The city simply cannot respond to news conference statements like this as litigation is pending. The city will answer allegations in the appropriate forum."

Internal investigation

Dig deeper:

An internal investigation at Milwaukee’s Department of Emergency Communications revealed details about the delayed response. The 911 call takers at the center of that investigation were found to have violated protocol. Both resigned before getting fired. 

Multiple calls for help were made. The first two were made by Life Alert. Records show Stephanie Hughes was the first 911 call taker to answer the call at 5:14 a.m. She reported hearing what sounded like a physical fight and someone threatening to harm a woman. That is when she changed the classification from a welfare check to a "threat." But investigators said that was not enough, and it should have been upgraded to battery.

There was a second call for help made, again by Life Alert. Arriana Cadotte-Merced was the call taker who answered around 5:22 a.m. She did not upgrade the call to a battery either. Records show she told investigators she did not have enough confirmation to classify it as a battery based on her training.

There was a 911 call made by Shirley just before 8 a.m. That was classified as battery, and police arrived at the scene minutes before 8:30 a.m.

James Ireton, the primary Milwaukee Police District 6 dispatcher, was also investigated. Investigators concluded that Ireton did not violate policy. He relied on the information and classifications entered by the Department of Emergency Communications call takers.

Editor's note: This story was updated to include new information.

Portions of this article were formatted using A.I. FOX6’s Andrew Amouzou and an editor reviewed it for accuracy and tone prior to publishing.