They were placed by Mike and Mary Kegley, informing authorities that Tyler Peterson, the shooter, was with them.
If they were released in response to stepped-up pressure and scrutiny from the media, both in Wisconsin and nationally, I don't think they do nearly enough to assuage concern about the police response. Officials need to do more than release some tapes to quell the criticism.
There are gaping holes in the official timeline of events, and authorities are offering no explanations.
From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
In direct but relatively calm tones, a husband and wife calling from rural Crandon described their unexpected Sunday morning visitor to police and sheriff's officials - his demeanor after killing six friends, his reluctance to surrender and the pistol tucked into his pants.
Nearly two hours had passed since Tyler Peterson, an off-duty sheriff's deputy and family friend, had shown up on their doorstep.
When Mike Kegley called the Forest County 911 line at 9:15 a.m., he told a sheriff's dispatcher matter-of-factly: "We got that Tyler Peterson at the house right now."
Kegley and his wife, Mary, have said they called authorities earlier, when Peterson first drove up to see them and his longtime friend, their son Matt, just before 8 a.m. They have wondered publicly what took sheriff's and police officials so long to arrive at their wooded property north of Crandon.
Those earlier calls were not included in the recordings released Tuesday by the state Department of Justice, but officials don't deny they were made.
Kevin St. John, a department spokesman, said the tapes released Tuesday represent all of the calls made from the Kegleys' property to 911. Calls made to law enforcement authorities at non-emergency numbers also were recorded, but those tapes are not being released at this time, St. John said.
That information will be released when officials determine that it will not hinder or impair the investigation into the murders Peterson committed and his final hours, St. John said.
The Kegleys' attorney, Michael Roe, verified that Mary Kegley called police shortly after Peterson first arrived at her home.
"When (Attorney General J.B.) Van Hollen says he's giving you all the 911 calls, he may be telling the truth but he's not giving you all the other calls made," Roe said. "I know for a fact that (911) was not the only number called."
...The recordings provide a glimpse into what transpired on the Kegleys' property, but leave a wide gap in an official version of events from those calls to Peterson's apparent suicide during an encounter with police around 12:30 p.m.
A timeline provided by the Department of Justice last week shows that Peterson made two calls to the Forest County sheriff, at 9:56 and 10:36 a.m. No tapes of those calls have been released to date.
...In earlier interviews, the Kegleys reported they called to alert authorities before Peterson left their property to meet with his mother and grandmother. He left at 8:30 a.m., according to the official timeline.
I hope there's a good explanation for this drip, drip, drip release of information.
The shooter Tyler Peterson is dead and six of his seven victims are dead.
In terms of the investigation, there's not all that much left to learn about the shootings. Perhaps Charlie Neitzel, the only victim to survive the rampage, has some key information.
I can't imagine that what he'd have to say would fundamentally change what's already known.
The silence of law enforcement doesn't seem to be related to the murders. It's those unaccounted for hours in the aftermath of the slaughter and the circumstances of Peterson's death that are at issue. That's what's prompting all the speculation.
I think it's weird that Van Hollen has decided to parse words about the release of the calls.
He's made all the 911 calls available, but that's not all the calls.
We don't need that sort of verbal evasion.
About Mike and Mary Kegley-- They sound remarkably calm on the phone, but their lives could have been in danger.
So why didn't police move in as soon as they heard where Peterson was?
The police sound very matter-of-fact about Peterson being at the Kegley home.
Of course, they needed to protect the Kegleys and make sure that they didn't do anything that would cause Peterson to add more people to his list of victims.
But the police response is rightfully being questioned.
There was no way that they could be certain that Peterson was finished murdering; yet hours went by before he was no longer a threat to anyone.
Van Hollen and other authorities should fill in the holes in the timeline.
Releasing inconsequential tapes of 911 calls isn't nearly enough.
The public deserves answers, and sooner rather than later.
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