‘That Day, It Was Very Wrong': 911 Dispatcher Recalls Shooting of Virginia Officers

They’re often the calm voice on the other end of a frantic 911 call. Emergency dispatchers are being recognized this week for their role in keeping you safe. News4 Northern Virginia Bureau Reporter David Culver reports.

A 911 dispatcher who was working when three Virginia police officers were recently shot, one of them fatally, says the tragedy has brought her coworkers closer together.

Mesheka Cunningham dispatched emergency crews the night of Feb. 27, when the three officers responded to a domestic call.

“Started out as a normal day. We were switching shifts so it’s pretty busy within the center,” Cunningham said.

Police said Ronald Hamilton opened fire on officers David McKeown, Jesse Hempen and Ashley Guindon after killing his wife, Crystal Hamiliton.

"So he needed help and I just started dispatching,” Cunningham said.

She said the situation was personal for her and the other dispatchers.

“It is [personal] because you know them. These are my coworkers over the years. I’ve laughed with them, Dave, Jesse. You know them and you know when something’s right and you know when something’s wrong. And that day, it was very wrong. I could hear it in their voice,” she said.

Officer Guindon was killed. It was her first day on the job.

McKeown and Hempen were wounded and are now recovering.

“It was a bad day, but it’s brought a lot of us together - closer together,” Cunningham said. “This is not a 9 to 5. You have to love it to do it. And I do.”

Hamilton has been charged with capital murder.

Exit mobile version