From Deseret News archives:

A night of terror heard on tape

911 calls disclose new details about Trolley Square massacre

Published: Friday, March 2, 2007 9:00 a.m. MST
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At the Cabin Fever novelty and card shop, Talovic shot five people.Teresa Ellis, 29, was killed alongside Brad Frantz, 24. Kirsten Hinckley, 15, was also shot dead. Her mother, 44-year-old Carolyn Tuft, survived and is now hospitalized in fair condition after undergoing a series of surgeries. Stacy Hanson, 53, was also wounded.

'Please hurry!'

As police dispatchers put out the call, officers begin responding.

"He is still shooting. He is running inside Trolley Square with a shotgun," a dispatcher radios to officers.

On the line, another panicked caller was caught up in the chaos.

"He's still going, he's still going. We still hear shots, he's still going," one panicked caller tells dispatchers. "Please hurry!"

During the shooting rampage, Talovic encountered off-duty Ogden police officer Ken Hammond, who was on a date with his wife. Sarita Hammond called 911 from inside the Rodizio Grill.

"There's a guy shooting with a rifle. He shot a couple of people. I know there's at least two people shot," she said.

Sarita Hammond's voice can be heard growing more panicked as more shots are fired from inside the mall. The dispatcher tells her to lock the doors and get everyone in the restaurant away from the windows.

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"My husband is an Ogden city cop. He has a gun. He's off duty. He's out there somewhere. He has a badge and gun but he's off duty," she told the police dispatcher. "There's more shots, there's more shots. We saw two people down. They were shot."

The confusion from the chaotic situation is also heard on the tapes as initially dispatchers believed there was a second gunman, based on the different suspect descriptions they were getting.

"We actually have another suspect who has not been caught yet," one dispatcher told a 911 caller. "He was carrying a revolver."

Salt Lake City police said the confusion came when some shoppers mistook Hammond for the gunman.

Inside the Rodizio Grill, another off-duty police officer called 911.

"Are you armed? Do you have your gun on you?" the dispatcher asked.

"I didn't bring my gun (with) me," the off-duty West Valley City cop said.

Police response

The voices of Salt Lake City police officers become more excited as they get inside the mall and the communications grow more chilling.

"I'm inside the mall on the west end. I hear active shooting," one officer said.

"Shots fired on the northside through the window, through the door!" another officer says a short time later.

Officers can be heard on their radios setting up a team to immediately go inside the mall and confront the gunman.

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