Wife of slain man says police didn’t respond to her 911 report that he had been taken hostage

Talija Campbell, a grieving woman who received a chilling text from her husband implying he was a hostage, revealed on Tuesday that her 911 call received a slow response from the police. By the time officers arrived roughly an hour later, her husband had been tragically shot and killed.

According to the Colorado Springs Police Department’s online police blotter, officers discovered two deceased adult males on Friday at the location. This location was where Talija Campbell had expressed fear that her spouse, Qualin Campbell, was being detained by another individual. The police blotter noted that officers responded to a shooting report there at 2:09 p.m.

Talija Campbell stated she dialed 911 just past 1 p.m., after receiving a text from her husband, a father of two, sharing his location and an image of a man seated next to him in his car. Subsequent texts from him urged her to “911” and “Send Please!” She responded by calling the emergency services.

She explained to the dispatcher her suspicion that her husband was being held hostage, describing his car and location, which was about a mile away from the Colorado Springs Police Department headquarters. She was subsequently connected to a second dispatcher, responsible for Colorado Springs calls. After being briefed by the first dispatcher about Campbell’s report, she relayed her knowledge again. Campbell noted a lack of urgency from the dispatcher, who assured an officer would investigate and return her call, leading her to drive to the location.

Upon arriving, Campbell identified her husband’s company car in a parking lot. The heartbreaking sight of her husband slouched over in the car with another man led to her collapsing on her knees in despair. As a crowd began to gather, they deliberated opening the car door upon noticing a firearm on the other man’s lap, who seemed unconscious but unharmed.

Despite her fears, Campbell made the decision to open the door in an attempt to rescue her bleeding husband. Sadly, she was unable to find a pulse on his neck or wrist.

“It shouldn’t have been me, the first person to respond,” she remarked bitterly.

She added that her husband’s uncle, who also came to the scene, made another call to the police reporting that Qualin Campbell was deceased.

Police spokesman Robert Tornabene, when questioned about Campbell’s 911 call and the subsequent police action, declined to comment due to an ongoing criminal investigation into the fatalities.

Harry Daniels, Campbell’s attorney, asserted that his client seeks answers from the department about its apparent delay in responding to her call. He suggested that Qualin Campbell may have survived had they reacted promptly.

“In my view, a hostage situation should be given the highest priority, perhaps only second to an active shooter scenario,” he opined.

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More about Delayed Police Response

• Colorado Springs Police Department
• Understanding the 911 emergency system
• Procedure for reporting hostage situations
• Understanding Police Response Time