Statement: Communication problems plagued Columbia shooting response

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A police request for medics at the scene of a quintuple shooting July 5 was not appropriately relayed to first responders, the city of Columbia and other organizations said in a joint statement Monday.

Five people were shot in a chaotic scene early July 5 in the area of Volunteer Drive and Grace Lane. Five people were shot and two died -- ages 11 and 38.

Agencies took a closer look at the response after medics did not enter the scene. Police loaded the shooting victims into vehicles and took them to hospitals after the shooting.

Representatives of the Columbia Police Department, University of Missouri Health Care, Boone Hospital Center and Boone County Joint Communications met to discuss the findings Thursday, according to the joint statement.

"During the July 9 debrief, the agencies reviewed the radio traffic, as well as each agency’s established protocols for responding to active crime scenes," the statement says. "It became apparent during the review that on scene communication was at times unclear among the emergency responders."

The agencies determined police at the scene requested medics, that medics were waiting outside the scene to hear it was stable and secure enough for them to enter and that "the request for medics by law enforcement was not relayed as expected."

In the audio recording from the Columbia Fire Department channel and the EMS channel, the dispatcher announces that law enforcement has said the scene is stable and medics can go in. Medics were staged in the area.

Radio traffic also suggests medics were working to find victims that were with Columbia police officers, but officers had already begun to transport victims to the hospital themselves.

You can find the audio files below:

The statement noted that agencies use several different radio channels at such scenes to keep officers and others from talking over each other.

The statement says the agencies will begin monitoring cross-radio traffic to ensure better communication; that police will provide clear communication to first responders at violent crime scenes; that agencies will participate in ride-alongs with other agencies; and that joint training scenarios will be developed.

Police have detained a 16-year-old in connection with the shooting on suspicion of second-degre murder, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon.

Check back or watch ABC 17 News at 9 and 10 for more on this developing story.