Calif. Responders Defend Actions in Stabbing Death
EL SOBRANTE, Calif., Aug. 15 -- As paramedics waited several minutes for Sheriff's deputies to secure the scene and a man lay bleeding a few paces away, bystanders prodded them to help.
"Folks were saying the scene was secure," said Jason Sampson, an operations manager for American Medical Response (AMR). "But dispatch said no... We had a stressed paramedic," Sampson added, saying the first responders were hearing mixed signals from dispatch and residents at the scene.
More than 60 concerned residents gathered for a special meeting Wednesday to hear emergency responders and other public officials explain what happened in the aftermath of a shocking stabbing death of an employee at a local hardware store on Aug. 4.
Daymond Agnew was arrested on suspicion of murder after stabbing to death an employee at Oliver's Ace Hardware on San Pablo Dam Road. Police allege Agnew stabbed Daniel Joseph Stone, 49, at least 17 times.
Many residents expressed skepticism about officials' explanations about why at least five minutes elapsed between paramedics arriving on the scene and applying emergency care.
Contra Costa sheriff's Lt. John Moreland said deputies arrived at 9:03 a.m. and came upon Stone at 9:07 a.m., seven minutes after 911 calls, then cleared fire officials at 9:09 a.m. and AMR medics at 9:12 a.m.
Between 9:03 and 9:07 a.m. the deputies scrambled in search of the suspect after being told by witnesses that he was hiding under a nearby bridge. Some residents complained that deputies didn't exit their vehicles when they first arrived near where Stone laid dying.
"The whole area was unsafe," Moreland said.
Moreland and other officials said it is standard practice for deputies to secure a crime scene before giving the green light to unarmed medical personnel to administer aid.
Residents at the meeting were unconvinced.
Lawrence Gurganitus, a resident and frequent shopper at the hardware store, said he was driving by and pulled over when he saw Stone bleeding on the ground and rushed to his aid. Gurganitus said there was no sign of the assailant, and he implored paramedics to help Stone.
"It seemed like forever," Gurganitus said. "I yelled to come over and help, but they said to calm down, it's not like someone was dying."
The violent scene in this rural hillside community is the latest instance of controversy over emergency response times and protocol. In April 2012, leaders from the same agencies went to public meetings to tamp down outrage over the drive-by shooting death of Lonnie Peterson III in North Richmond. The 22-year-old was bleeding for several minutes outside a corner market while paramedics staged in the street and deputies tried to quell an increasingly hostile crowd.
In May 2011, Police and firefighters watched from the shore of Robert Crown Memorial State Beach in Alameda as 52-year-old Raymond Zack stood neck-deep in 54-degree water for 31 minutes until a civilian bystander retrieved his motionless body. Zack, who was suicidal, died.
Agnew, a 34-year-old Sacramento man, was arraigned Aug. 6 on charges of murder with use of a knife in the death of Stone. His bail is $1 million and he remains in custody. He is expected to enter a plea Sept. 3. According to witnesses, and surveillance video, Agnew walked up to Stone and a customer, then used spray paint from the store to color his face in Oakland Raiders' silver and black before stabbing stone. Prosecutors say Agnew explained later that he was on a "mission from Allah to help people."
Residents also questioned why Stone was taken to John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek rather than the closer Highland General Hospital in Oakland.
Contra Costa Emergency Medical Services medical director Dr. Joe Barger said the decision was made by personnel at the scene. Foggy conditions that day prevented Stone from being flown to the hospital. The ambulance ride took 21 minutes and arrival time was 9:42 a.m., Barger said. Doctors Medical Center in San Pablo is just a few miles away, but Barger said John Muir Medical Center is a designated trauma center and better equipped to handle life-threatening injuries.
Stone was pronounced dead at 11:26 a.m.
Barger said "It's very hard to know" whether Stone could have survived if he received treatment earlier.
Deputies arrested Agnew outside a nearby house at 9:12 a.m., the same time paramedics began aiding Stone.
Some residents said it was inexcusable that paramedics were at the scene for five minutes before assisting Stone. The AMR ambulance arrived at 9:07 a.m. and staged at a liquor store across the street according to dispatch records.
A county fire engine staged at a fire station a few blocks away at 9:05 a.m. At 9:09 a.m. a deputy notified disptach to send in the fire unit, and dispatch relayed that message at 9:11 a.m., notifying AMR one minute later.
County Supervisor John Gioia, who moderated the meeting, stressed that emergency personnel must secure a scene before administering aid.
"They don't know who has a gun in their hand," when they first arrive, Gioia said.
Mechanics Bank in El Sobrante has a fund in Stone's honor to benefit his mother, Dorothy Pinto, whom he supported. Donations can be made in person or mailed to the branch in the name of Dorothy Pinto, attention Brandy Buras, 3884 San Pablo Dam Rd., El Sobrante, CA 94803. The account number is #4181-8423, or call 510-243-9620.
A community memorial and potluck event for Stone is scheduled for 4 p.m. Saturday at Richmond Elks Lodge, 3931 San Pablo Dam Road, in El Sobrante.
Contact Robert Rogers at 510-262-2726 or rrogers@bayareanewsgroup.com. Follow him at Twitter.com/roberthrogers.
Copyright 2013 - The Oakland Tribune
