Law firm claims man died after police failed to respond to hostage situation

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV/Gray News) - A law firm claims authorities in Colorado didn’t repond to an alleged hostage situation that left two men dead, even after the wife of one of the victims called 911.

Harry M. Daniels LLC issued a news release Monday detailing a situation that allegedly happened Friday. Police tell KKTV they were called to a shooting just after 2 p.m. Friday in Colorado Springs, where they found two men dead, but they have not confirmed this is the same incident.

The law firm identified one of the men found dead as Qualin Campbell. It further claims the police reports “fail to mention” that Campbell’s wife, Talija Campbell, had called 911 nearly an hour before he was found dead to report her husband had been taken hostage.

She reportedly received text messages from her husband reading, “911. Send Please!” The text message also included Qualin Campbell’s location and a picture of the man who allegedly took him hostage.

The law firm believes no law enforcement officers responded until Qualin Campbell was found dead.

“The Colorado Springs Police Department and El Paso County can make all the excuses they want, but the facts are simple,” said civil rights attorney Harry Daniels, who is representing Talija Campbell, along with Chantel Cherry-Lassiter. “This was a hostage situation where Qualin Campbell was begging for his life. His wife called 911. The police were less than a mile away, but they never responded. Let’s be clear: if the police don’t respond to a hostage situation, none of us are safe.”

KKTV is reaching out to the law firm for more on what their next steps are. No lawsuit has been filed yet.

Reporters also reached out to the police department for comment on the law firm’s claims.

“Anything that is currently available related to this ongoing investigation is on the blotter post related to this incident,” said a police spokesperson Monday. “We are not commenting on active investigations.”

The other person killed in the shooting has not been publicly identified. The El Paso County Coroner’s Office did not identify either man but confirmed their autopsies were done Monday.

Copyright 2023 KKTV via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.