Attorneys and the victim’s family are accusing the Colorado Springs Police Department of not responding to a hostage situation that turned deadly for a Black man last week.
The victim’s wife said Monday she believes he was giving a homeless man a ride when he was held up.
“I’m hurt and disappointed,” Tali’Ja Campbell said. “You can never get him back. This wasn’t just some random person. This man had a family. It doesn’t feel safe to live here anymore.
According to the Colorado Springs Police Department, they were called to the scene of a shooting at the 1500 block of S. Nevada in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on June 2. Upon arrival, they found two dead men.
Reports indicate that Qualin Campbell was found dead after officers received an emergency call shortly after 2 p.m. The caller stated that Campbell and another person were unconscious and possibly shot in a car on South Nevada Avenue.
Harry M. Daniels LLC issued a news release on June 4 to provide their version of what happened. The law firm identified Campbell and stated that CSPD failed to mention his wife called the police an hour earlier to report that he was being held hostage. She claimed that her husband sent her a text message that read, “911. Send Please!” She also alleged that the message included Campbell’s location and a picture of the man who allegedly took him hostage.
Campbell’s wife stated that she immediately called 911 to report the situation and provide her husband’s location, but officers didn’t arrive until Campbell was already dead. The 32-year-old was found with a gunshot wound to the abdomen approximately an hour later.
“The Colorado Springs Police Department and El Paso County can make all the excuses they want, but the facts are simple,” said nationally renowned civil rights attorney Harry Daniels in a statement. Daniels, along with Chantel Cherry-Lassiter, represents Talija Campbell.
“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.”
Campbell and his wife moved to Colorado Springs in July. He is originally from Newnan, Georgia, and he attended the University of West Georgia. He is also a member of the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity.
Police said Qualin’s death is being handled as a homicide. The passenger in the car was identified as David Karels, 44, of Colorado Springs, and his death is being investigated as a suicide.
“A spokesperson for CSPD responded to KKTV 11 News on Monday morning, stating, “Anything that is currently available related to this ongoing investigation is on the blotter post related to this incident. We are not commenting on active investigations.”
This is a developing story, and it will be updated as soon as more details become available.