Hostage situation turns deadly when 9-1-1 call goes unresponded to

Talija Campbell was devastated when she received a desperate text message from her husband, Qualin Campbell. “Help me, they’re going to kill me,” was the brief message sent before news of her husband’s death.

Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) responders arrived on scene one hour after Talija’s 911 call. CSPD reported that two adult male bodies were found at the location Talija suspected her husband was being held hostage.

The County Coroner’s Office later confirmed that autopsies had been performed on Monday, although the names of the deceased were not released at the time of reporting.

Talija said that on the call to the first dispatcher, she expressed her belief that her husband had been taken hostage and gave a detailed description of his vehicle and location, which was near CSPD headquarters. The dispatcher said an officer would check and get back to her, Talija however decided to drive to the location herself.

Upon arriving, she recognized the company car belonging to her husband, and inside it were Qualin and another man, who appeared to be unconscious but did not have any visible injuries. While onlookers began debating whether or not to open the car door, Talija took initiative by opening the door to her husband’s side. Despite her efforts, Qualin was already dead; Talija screamed and fell to her knees.

Harry Daniels, Talija’s lawyer, has expressed his client’s need for answers from CSPD in regards to their reluctance to respond to her call. “If the police don’t respond to a hostage situation, then none of us are safe,” Daniels said in support of Talija’s need for justice. When asked to comment on the 911 call and CSPD response, police spokesman Robert Tornabene stated that he was unable to do so due to an “open and active criminal investigation” regarding the two deaths.