“The severity of their cases just gets dismissed and people die” – Moreno calls for change

The councilmember is asking why domestic violence calls aren’t being handled with the urgency they require.

NEW ORLEANS — Councilwoman Helena Moreno is calling for domestic violence calls to be taken seriously.

It comes after three children perished in a house fire. According to 911 it took emergency services 25 minutes to respond to the initial domestic abuse call from the children’s mother.

The councilwoman says the city saw the same thing happen in the Asia Davis case, where NOPD took more than 10 hours to respond to her two separate calls to 911 before she was murdered.

According to the New Orleans Health Department women who experience nonfatal strangulation by their partner are 750% more likely to be murdered by that same person.

Moreno says domestic violence calls aren’t being handled with the urgency they require.

“The severity of their cases just gets dismissed and people die,” said the Councilwoman. She went on to say, “When a mother calls and says my children, my children’s lives are in danger, they could potentially be murdered by a crazy person, you would think that police, should be dispatched immediately, that is the expectation.”

The 911 timeline shows it took 25 minutes after the first call before officers arrived at the scene where three children died in a fire in the 4900 block of America Street. According to Karl Fasold, chief of Orleans Parish Communications District , when the call came in, there were no police units free to respond.

Fasold said, “In an ideal world, we would have enough field units to be able to assign someone and send them to that call immediately. You guys are well aware that we don’t live in an ideal world now.”

Moreno said, “I’m asking a lot of questions, this can’t keep happening, we saw what happened to Asia Davis.”

Police say Asia Davis was killed by her ex-boyfriend Henry Talley Jr. on May 11. Dispatch records show she called 911 on Apr. 6 about him and again on Apr. 18. According to police records both times her calls were downgraded and in both occasions, it took NOPD more than 10 hours to respond, and both calls were marked “gone on arrival.”

Friday the pre-trial conference in the Asia Davis case begins. Asia’s mother, Kenya Davis is asking where the disconnect is, after hearing another mother was left waiting for help.

Kenya Davis said, “They’re going to have a lot to answer to when they get in front of God. There’s ridiculousness in New Orleans, 25 minutes to get to three kids.”

Councilwoman Moreno wants Gwen’s law hearings for the most severe cases of domestic violence. Gwen’s law passed in 2017, the law makes it harder for domestic violence offenders to get out of jail on bond. The law was created in honor of Gwen Salley, who was shot by her estranged husband.

“it allows for the judge to hold the offender until there is a contradictory hearing to really assess the victim and the family.” said Moreno.

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