The emergency call from the home of a man later killed by Johnston County deputies provides context as to why they may have been unable to intervene to de-escalate the man’s mental health crisis.
The emergency call to 911 from a Garner woman is shedding new light on what happened the moments before Johnston County deputies shot and killed a man.
Anthony Richardson’s widow told WRAL Investigates that no one tried to de-escalate the situation that began days before when he started having a PTSD episode.
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Richardson was an Army veteran who his wife says deployed to war zones three times. She said he has had PTSD symptoms since she met him more than 20 years ago. But Sunday when one of his episodes turned violent, deputies called to help ended his life.
The 911 call that came late Sunday morning from Dorleen Richardson’s Garner
home is frantic and at times, hard to understand.
Dispatcher: “OK, what’s going on?”
(inaudible background)
Dispatcher: Hello? What’s going on?
Richardson: “Yes… Who are you talking to?”
But one thing is very clearly heard. A gunshot.
Dispatcher: “Ma’am, can you tell me what’s going on?”
Richardson: “I’ll tell you…” (gunshot) “He just shot the gun.”
Dispatcher: “OK, who is it that has a gun?”
Richardson: “My husband.
