Emergency help for Christa Pike was delayed by confusion among first responders and Tennessee prison officials following her failed execution on September 30, according to 911 dispatch recordings obtained by The Associated Press through a public records request.
The recordings show that precious minutes elapsed as officials and responders attempted to determine whether a request for emergency assistance in the execution chamber at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville was legitimate.
The initial 911 call came in at 8:40 p.m. CT on September 30, just over an hour after the attempted lethal injection began. An individual calling from the prison told a Metro dispatcher: "We've been carrying out an execution tonight. We've administered 10 grams of pentobarbital. The person is not yet deceased. That started approximately one hour ago. And we're calling for an ambulance."
When the dispatcher asked the caller for a verification code to confirm the legitimacy of the request, the caller was unable to provide one. The caller also stated the person was not conscious when asked about chest pain.
At 9:03 p.m., roughly 23 minutes after the initial call, a dispatcher announced: "Per supervisors here at the DEC (Department of Emergency Communications), we have been informed it is a false call. There is no medical assistance needed at Riverbend Prison."
Four minutes later, at approximately 9:07 p.m., a responder reported: "Somebody is outside the gate at the prison telling us that it's real and demanding us to go in. They say they are some sort of state official. I need somebody to get out to the gate and talk to them."
Prison officials confirmed the call was legitimate several minutes later. Emergency responders were allowed through the prison gates at approximately 9:11 p.m., roughly 31 minutes after the initial emergency call.
Pike, 50, survived two doses of pentobarbital during the execution attempt. She was hospitalized in critical condition following the failed procedure. Pike was convicted in connection with the 1995 stabbing death of classmate Colleen Slemmer, which she committed alongside her then-boyfriend when she was 18 years old.
A Tennessee judge granted a motion to preserve relevant evidence in the botched execution. Pike has since been discharged from the hospital and returned to prison, where she continues to receive medical care. The Nashville Department of Emergency Communications released a total of 10 calls made between 8:46 p.m. and 9:11 p.m. on September 30 between emergency dispatchers and agencies or individuals involved in the response.