A 911 dispatcher accused of hanging up on a Tops employee who was reporting the Buffalo mass shooting is now off the job

• A 911 dispatcher who allegedly hung up on a witness reporting the Buffalo mass shooting has been placed on leave.
• An assistant manager at the store claimed she called 911 when she heard gunshots, but the dispatcher "hung up in my face."

A 911 dispatcher who allegedly hung up on a Buffalo, New York, Tops employee trying to report the active shooting in her store has been placed on leave — and county officials want her fired.

"Immediate action was taken in this case and the individual who took that call is now on administrative leave pending a disciplinary hearing, which should happen within a couple of weeks," a spokesperson for the county told Insider.

"Termination will be sought" for the employee who has worked for the county for eight years, the spokesperson said.

The mass shooting at the Buffalo supermarket on Saturday left 10 people dead. Police arrested an 18-year-old white suspect in the shooting and alleged he targeted the grocery store in order to kill Black people.

The store's assistant manager, Latisha, told WGRZ on Saturday that when she first heard gunshots, she dropped to the ground.

When the gunman didn't stop shooting, she said she called 911.

"I tried to call 911, and I was whispering because I could hear him close by," Latisha told WGRZ.

"And when I whispered on the phone to 911, the dispatcher started yelling at me saying 'Why are you whispering? You don't have to whisper.' And I'm trying to tell her like, 'Ma'am, he's in the store. He's shooting. It's an active shooter. I'm scared for my life.' And she said something crazy to me and then she hung up in my face."

Latisha said she had to call her boyfriend and tell him to call 911. She claims he is the one who got through and got emergency services to the scene.

—India Walton From Buffalo (@Indiawaltonbflo) May 16, 2022

The county spokesperson told Insider that the employee's actions had "no bearing on the dispatching of the call" and that it was dispatched for a police response within 30 seconds.

Other 911 calls also reported the shooting, according to WGRZ. Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said police were at the scene within two minutes, WGRZ reported.

The shooting suspect has been charged with first-degree murder and may also face domestic terrorism charges, the district attorney in the case told Insider.