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911 operator who shut down NFL pro Richard Sherman's panicked wife as she pleaded for help is under investigation for being 'combative' and 'rude'

  A phone call between NFL star Richard Sherman's wife and a Seattle dispatcher is now under investigation, following claims that the di...

 A phone call between NFL star Richard Sherman's wife and a Seattle dispatcher is now under investigation, following claims that the dispatcher was 'rude' and 'combative' as she took Ashley Moss' call for assistance.

Moss called the King County Sheriff's Office last Wednesday night to report that her husband, former 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman, was 'drunk and belligerent and threatening to kill himself.'

In audio released of the phone call, she could be heard asking for immediate assistance, as the female dispatcher, who has not been named, tells her several times to 'stop,' even as Moss' husband bangs on her father's door that night and breaks part of it. 


At one point the operator even snaps at Moss, who is clearly upset, to 'stop interrupting' her. 

Richard Sherman's wife Ashley called 911 Wednesday night reporting her husband had drunk two bottles of liquor and was threatening to kill himself before his arrest

Richard Sherman's wife Ashley called 911 Wednesday night reporting her husband had drunk two bottles of liquor and was threatening to kill himself before his arrest

After the call was published last week, some people took to Twitter to call out the dispatcher for being 'rude' and 'combative' as she listened to Moss' struggle.

Several people called for the dispatcher to be fired, with Benoit Alexandre Dastrous writing she 'needs to be fired immediately for being confrontational with the person clearly in shock [and] distress.'

Chris Williamson, an SNY anchor, also wrote that the dispatcher 'has no business working in the field given how indifferent and rude she was to Sherman's wife.'

And Jay Willis said: 'The absolutely condescending 911 operator who kept interrupting Sherman's wife and lecturing her about interrupting is as compelling an argument as any for why calls for mental health crises don't need to go to the cops.

 You didn't let me finish. You need to stop interrupting me so I can the information I need to get officers expedited
911 Operator 

After so much backlash, the Redmond Police Department distanced itself from the call, which was handled by the King County Sheriff's Office. The department said the Sheriff's Office will now conduct an administrative review of the call, which could take months to complete.

'Many have mistakenly associated those calls to the City of Redmond's Communications Center, which is not connected to the King County Sheriff's Office,' the Redmond Police Department said in a statement Monday. 'The City of Redmond was not involved in the recordings, highlighted by the complaints. 

'The King County Sheriff's Office, in response to public comment, opened administrative review of this matter that will take several months to conclude.

Several people took to Twitter following the release of the phone call between Ashley Moss and a King County Sheriff's Office operator to condemn the dispatcher for her behavior during the call, calling her 'rude' and 'condescending'

Several people took to Twitter following the release of the phone call between Ashley Moss and a King County Sheriff's Office operator to condemn the dispatcher for her behavior during the call, calling her 'rude' and 'condescending'

Former King County Sheriff John Urquhart has previously defended the dispatcher's actions, however, telling KIRO on Thursday that operators have to get information about the address, whether any weapons are involved and if anyone is hurt immediately, as seconds can make a difference in an emergency situation.

'She’s short with the woman because she’s taking control,' Urquhart said. 

'Any time you’re in a conversation with someone, when someone takes control, that makes people step back and say, "hey wow what’s going on here?" But in this case, they don’t understand why it’s so important, why it’s absolutely critical and it can be life and death.

'They may be upset with kind of the tone of it. But when you realize all that has to be done, it’s just fine.'

He added that he does not believe the King Count operator violated any policies in her response to the call. 

'In my mind,' Urquhart said, 'there's no question, whatsoever.'

The 911 call reveals the moments before the NFL free agent was arrested for domestic violence.

'I need officers to my house now. My husband is drunk and belligerent and threatened to kill himself,' Ashley Moss said at the beginning of the call.

'Stop. Stop,' the dispatcher responds. 'What's the address?'

Moss begins to answer when the dispatcher again tells her to stop talking.

'Are there any weapons?' the dispatcher says. 'Stop!'

'No there's no guns –,' Moss begins to say.

She is then cut off by the dispatcher again, who says: 'Listen to me!'

In the call, Moss (right) could be  heard telling a dispatcher that Sherman was trying to fight her uncle and was 'drunk' and 'belligerent'

In the call, Moss (right) could be  heard telling a dispatcher that Sherman was trying to fight her uncle and was 'drunk' and 'belligerent'

Video surveillance caught the moment Richard Sherman tried to enter his father-in-law's home Wednesday night, after allegedly speeding through a construction site

Video surveillance caught the moment Richard Sherman tried to enter his father-in-law's home Wednesday night, after allegedly speeding through a construction site

He could be seen banging on the door, eventually breaking off part of it

He could be seen banging on the door, eventually breaking off part of it

'I am saying there are no weapons, ma'am,' Moss responds. 'There are no weapons.'

The dispatcher the says: 'You didn't let me finish. You need to stop interrupting me so I can the information I need to get officers expedited.'

'I need officers here now!' the distraught wife says in the recording.

The dispatcher then says: 'What's he doing that you think he's going to harm himself?'

'He's being aggressive. He has sent text messages,' Moss says. She then seems to address her husband, telling him she took the keys out of his car.

She continued to the dispatcher: 'He's trying to leave now. He's being aggressive. He's wrestling with my uncle. He's threatening to kill himself. He has sent text messages to people saying that he's going to hang himself.'

'And he's saying that if police show up that – so please don't shoot is what I'm asking,' Moss adds to the dispatcher.

The dispatcher then asked Moss to clarify what Sherman had said he would do if police were to show up.

'He said that if police show up that he will try to fight the, So you need to understand that he is -,' Moss says.

The dispatcher then interrupts her again, asking: 'Has he been physical with anybody there? You said he has tried to fight your uncle?'

'Yes, yes,' Moss responds.

The dispatcher then asks: 'How has he been physical?'

Moss responds: 'He just tried to fight him.'

'Okay, trying to fight somebody and actually being physical is two different things,' the dispatcher responds.

The dispatcher then asks her again how Sherman had been physical.

'Richard, please stop!' Moss then says repeatedly.

The dispatcher then asks Moss for details about the make and model of the car.

'It's just a black sedan, Mercedes SUV. He's not going to be able to get out of the gate. I cut it off,' Moss responds.

'What do you mean you cut it off?' the dispatcher asks.

'I cut the gate- we live behind- it's Richard Sherman. Like ma'am, this is a [expletive] emergency and I need officers here now,' Moss says.

The dispatcher then retorts: 'Listen to me! I am handling this! You need to stop telling me that.'

'He just got out the gate,' Moss says while the dispatcher speaks over her.

Later in a second part of the recording, the dispatcher asks Moss if she needs an ambulance.

'No, no. We don't need an ambulance,' Moss responds.

The dispatcher again asks if Sherman has any weapons or access to weapons.

'No, no,' Moss responds.

The dispatcher then asks her how much Sherman had drank, and she responds, 'two bottles.' The dispatcher asks her: 'Two bottles of what?'

Someone else at the scene then tries to give information about Sherman being intoxicated.

'Just hard alcohol. He's intoxicated,' the man says on the call.

'Okay, sir, I only need to talk to one person so put the phone down and let me talk to Ashley,' the dispatcher says. 


Sherman, meanwhile, was seen on video surveillance trying to break into his father-in-law's home that night.

He could be seen throwing his 6-foot-3-inch, 200-plus pound body into the front door while yelling, 'Come through, b***h.'  

Sherman's father-in-law told officers that he armed himself with a handgun and fired pepper-spray at the NFL cornerback to protect his family as Sherman tried to bust in the door of Moss' home with his shoulder. 

'The family began to yell in fear,' Raymond Moss told police. 

'I used pepper spray on Sherman´s face through the partially opened door as he was still banging and attempting to gain entry. I told him to stop. I armed myself with my handgun at this time fearing for the safety of myself and my family.'

Moss said Sherman partially broke the front door during the ordeal.   

Richard Sherman
Raymond Moss

NFL star Richard Sherman has been charged after he was caught on surveillance cameras trying to break into his father-in-law Raymond Moss' home after an alleged hit-and-run accident 

Moss told investigators that Sherman partially broke in the door of the family home (pictured above) by repeatedly ramming it with his shoulder. He also banged on the door repeatedly and called out, 'Come through, Ray!' in a hostile and threatening tone

Moss told investigators that Sherman partially broke in the door of the family home (pictured above) by repeatedly ramming it with his shoulder. He also banged on the door repeatedly and called out, 'Come through, Ray!' in a hostile and threatening tone

Officers were reportedly cautious about arresting the NFL star because of his size, strength and belligerence, according to police reports. 

After trying to deescalate the situation, they decided to use less-lethal force after warning Sherman that they would if he didn't comply with their orders. 

They could not use a Taser because they worried about igniting whatever chemical Sherman´s father-in-law had sprayed him with in self-defense and could not fire a bean-bag round because they were too close to him. 

Instead, they released a police dog, which bit his ankle and caused a minor cut, as other officers wrestled with him on the ground, the reports say. 

Prior to the break-in attempt, police say Sherman crashed his car in a construction zone along a busy highway east of Seattle.

Workers said the driver entered the closed construction zone at 60 to 70 mph and sped off after being confronted, shooting sparks from a wheel, then abandoned the disabled vehicle nearby.  

After being checked for injuries at a nearby hospital, he was booked at King County Correction Facility in Washington early Wednesday morning on a charge of 'Burglary Domestic Violence,' but was later released.

The felony charge was eventually dropped, but on Friday, Sherman was charged with five counts of criminal trespass, domestic-violence-related counts of malicious mischief, resisting arrest, DUI and endangering road workers.

The charges are all misdemeanors, punishable by up to 90 days in jail, or gross misdemeanors, punishable by up to one year. 

Sherman has pleaded not guilty to these charges, but has been ordered not to have any contact with his father-in-law.

Richard Sherman, right, was seen holding hands with Ashley, as they entered King County District Court on Friday, when he was charged with five misdemeanor charges

Richard Sherman, right, was seen holding hands with Ashley, as they entered King County District Court on Friday, when he was charged with five misdemeanor charges

Moss has said that Sherman was on antidepressants and is receiving mental health counseling

Moss has said that Sherman was on antidepressants and is receiving mental health counseling

He issued an apology on his Instagram page Friday before the arraignment, vowing to get help

He issued an apology on his Instagram page Friday before the arraignment, vowing to get help

Ashley Sherman told police her husband had been on anti-depressants and was receiving mental health counseling. 

His arrest is his first known involvement with the criminal justice system.

At the court hearing on Thursday, Sherman´s attorney did not contest that probable cause existed for the arrest but he said Sherman should be released without bail.

He noted his good works in the community, including founding the Blanket Coverage Foundation, a charity that provides low-income students with school supplies and clothes.


'Richard Sherman is among the best in our community,' Offenbecher said. 'He is a good person and a good soul. He is taking these allegations very seriously.' 

His arraignment came just hours after he issued a statement saying he was 'deeply remorseful'.   

'I behaved in a manner I am not proud of. I have been dealing with some personal challenges over the last several months, but that is not an excuse for how I acted,' he said, vowing to get mental health treatment.

'I am grateful to have such an amazing wife, family and support system to lean on during this time.' 

Moss gave birth to Sherman's first son four days after his Seahawks fell to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX in early 2015. The couple welcomed their second child in 2016 and were married in 2018.

In 2019, Sherman revealed that it was Moss who pushed for a $1 million Pro Bowl bonus as part of his three-year, $39 million deal with the San Francisco 49ers. 

Sherman was ultimately named to his fifth Pro Bowl that season, and picked up the extra $1 million, thanks to Moss.  

A Stanford graduate, Sherman became a Seattle favorite during his seven seasons with the Seahawks, which included a Super Bowl win after the 2014 season.   

He left the Seahawks for the 49ers in 2018, and played in another Super Bowl in 2020, losing to the Kansas City Chiefs.  

Sherman is currently a free agent, having made $82 million over his 10-year career. 

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