Family members of a slain Dallas woman are angry that the Dallas police didn’t do enough to save her after she called 911 two days earlier to report her ex-husband was attacking her.
Deanna Cook-Patrick, 32, was found dead in her bathtub on Sunday after family members kicked in her front door.
Police say Cook called 911 from her cell phone, delaying the response time by 9 minutes. Once Cook’s address was established, the dispatcher did not inform the officers in the field that Cook was under attack — even though her screams could be heard during the 11-minute 911 call. Police knocked on Cook’s door but left when there was no response.
“In my personal opinion, I don’t think they cared enough. I think they had already given up. Seen it was useless and didn’t think it was worth their time or effort,” the victim’s sister, Valecia Battle, told Fox News.
Police arrested Cook’s ex-husband, Delvecchio Patrick, and charged him with murder. He is being held on $500,000 bail.
Cook and Patrick’s 3-year marriage was a contentious one. Patrick was arrested 3 times for assaulting Cook in the past. He pleaded guilty to all 3 charges. The couple’s divorce was finalized in January.
Family members, including her two teenage daughters, went to Cook’s home on Sunday after they noticed she didn’t attend church services. The family saw water pouring under the front door which was locked. They kicked the door in and found Cook’s body submerged in the tub with the water still running.
Police did not release the 911 call to the media, but family members who heard the audio described Cook’s screams and gasps for breath. They said they could hear Cook dying.
“I could just hear how loud she was screaming,” Karletha Gundy told WFAA News 8 in Dallas. “I couldn’t hear what she was saying, but I know she was screaming for her life.”
Gundy described the indifference by police when she called to report Cook missing and asked for a welfare check at her home.
“The lady said, ‘Before we can send an officer out to check, you need to call the hospitals and the jails,'” Gundy said.
“If they could have kicked the door down, maybe she could have been saved,” Gundy said.
The 911 operator who failed to mention the ongoing assault to police defended her actions in an interview with the Dallas Morning News.
“I can say that it’s obvious that there was an active disturbance taking place, the screaming and things like that, so I can’t say that I knew what was going on, other than there was a disturbance,” the operator said. “Obviously my prayers go out to her family, because that’s just a terrible situation.”
Just hours before she was attacked in her home, Deanna Cook tweeted a response to R&B singer Tyrese, who wrote a series of tweets on his Twitter.com account chastising women for staying in abusive relationships.
“Thats why I made the First move,” Deanna tweeted. “Now Dude say He Gone KILL me. Wouldn’t be so bad if he ain’t tried 3 times before, But I’m Gods Child ain’t never scared..”
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