Toronto Paramedic Services says it is reviewing a 911 call of a shooting in the Mount Dennis neighbourhood over the weekend that left a 15-year-old boy dead after reports that a caller was left on hold for upwards of 15 minutes.
Deputy Chief Melanie Jordison said the 911 Dispatch Centre prioritizes calls based on their life-threatening nature.
“I can’t speak to the whole process of that call specifically, but it’s definitely something that we’re reviewing,” she said during an unrelated news conference on Tuesday when asked about the paramedics’ response time to the shooting near Buttonwood and Charlton Settlement avenues, west of Weston Road and Jane Street.
The review comes after reports that one person who called 911 for help following a shooting was placed on hold for 10 to 15 minutes, prompting them just to flag a passing vehicle to transport the victim to the nearby West Park Healthcare Centre.
“We waited 10 minutes and after that we just hailed down a car quick and then just boom threw him in the backseat,” a witness told CTV News Toronto on Monday.
The man, who asked that we not use his name, said they got the wounded boy to the nearby healthcare centre.
“I know there’s no emergency there, but 911 wasn’t answering,” he said.
According to the man, the victim, who has not been identified, was with two friends near a bench at the time of the shooting.
He recounted that the victim had trouble breathing after being shot.
“His eyes were just white and he was looking at me like in shock. ... He was clearly…like he was dying,” he said.
Toronto police told CTV News Toronto that there were “numerous” calls made to the 911 Communication Centre about this shooting on Saturday.
They say the victim was transferred by paramedics to a trauma centre, where he died shortly after.
No suspect information has been released.
Police oversee the 911 dispatch centre, and according to spokesperson Stephanie Sayer, the first call about the shooting came in at 10:01 p.m. and was in the queue for six minutes and 43 seconds. She said police and paramedics arrived at the scene at 10:11 p.m.
Mayor Olivia Chow says wait time “not acceptable”
“The call came in at 10:01 at night and then it took six minutes and 42 seconds for the call to be answered, which is not acceptable and the paramedics arrives at 10:11 (p.m.), which is 10 minutes. ... People need help immediately when they call. As I said, every moment counts,” Chow said at the news conference, where she announced the city’s three-year hiring plan to boost Toronto paramedic staff.
“Wait times have come down over the last year, but it’s absolutely not good enough.”
EMS took 20 minutes to arrive to help woman injured in robbery, says bystander
Saturday night’s fatal shooting followed a separate incident that has also raised concerns about ambulance response times.
Harrison Lowman told CTV News Toronto that he stumbled upon a woman lying in a pool of blood following a violent robbery at a downtown store last Friday.
“Right in the doorway, we saw a woman who had fallen. Her head was gushing out blood. She was in a pool of blood that was growing,” he said.
Police say the suspect, who they’ve identified as 30-year-old Liam Nesbit and remains outstanding, entered the store, took multiple items, and attempted to flee without paying. While leaving, police allege he assaulted a staff member causing serious injuries.
Lowman said he and two other bystanders called 911 and waited for the ambulance.
Toronto police say the call came in at 6:05 and was queued for one minute and 31 seconds.
“I’m like rubbing her shoulder trying to tell her that it’s going to be okay,” he said.
“After about 15 minutes there’s still nothing and we saw a fire truck coming down the street.”
Lowman said the firefighters then radioed for an ambulance.
“It wasn’t until about 20 minutes, I think, that one ended up pulling up and getting her on the gurney,” he said.
Staff said the woman is recovering, but for Lowman, the wait for help is unacceptable.
“How is this possible? This is supposed to be a world class city – people are supposed to come here and feel safe,” said Lowman, who said wants to see wait and response times come down for both calls.
Toronto police say the average 911 wait time this year is one minute and two seconds.
Today, the City of Toronto said it plans to hire more than 360 frontline superintendents and support staff as well as 112 paramedics this year in response to rising emergency call demand and increasing response times.
With files from CTV News Toronto’s Allison Hurst
