New Mexico dispatcher told woman with dying teen to 'deal with it'

A New Mexico emergency dispatcher has been placed on leave after he told a woman attending to a shot and dying 17-year-old boy to "deal with it yourself" during an argument on the telephone, fire officials said on Tuesday.

Albuquerque Fire Chief David Downey said in a statement he was taking the incident seriously, and that an investigation is under way.

Firefighter Matthew Sánchez had already sent paramedics to the scene of the June 26 shooting at a house during the call when he and the caller got into an argument, fire and police officials said.

The caller told Sánchez she was doing cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the boy, and then Sánchez twice asked if the teenager was breathing, according to a recording of the call released by the Fire Department.

"He's barely breathing. How many times do I have to fucking tell you?" the woman said.

"Ok, you know what ma'am?" Sánchez responded. "You could deal with it yourself. I'm not gonna deal with this, okay?"

The call then ends as the woman exclaims that the boy is dying, and she is cut-off mid-sentence.

Albuquerque television station KRQE first reported on the controversial 911 call on Monday. The Fire Department, which released the call to the media, said it omitted the first nearly 3 minutes of the emergency call to protect patient privacy.

Sánchez has been removed from the dispatch center and been placed on administrative assignment, Downey's statement said.

The 17-year-old boy, Jaydon Chávez-Silver, was later taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, said Albuquerque police spokesman Officer Tanner Tixier.

The teenager was at a small gathering at a house when a shooter opened fire from outside the residence and struck him, Tixier said. The motive for the attack was unclear and no one has been arrested in connection with the slaying, he said.