2009 (Pt.7 Re-Up) What Went Wrong? 9-1-1 and the Loss of Tammy Ellis

As we embark on the second to last chapter in our series, with the petition submitted and having their wake for Tammy, Don and Betty Michalsky had the murder trial of their daughter's killer on their minds. We're going to start with an update on the project from Don, then we'll catch up with Don and Betty outside the Cranbrook Courthouse. We'll also hear from Lynn Neelan. We'll get a sense of where the trial is at, Don's thoughts on it, and what's been happening over the previous 10 months.
In this clip:
01:41 Talking with Don about what he's been doing for the last 10 months.
06:34 At the Cranbrook Courthouse as the trial is about to begin, interviews with Don and Lynn.
17:00 At the Michalsky's with Don's thoughts on the trial and the Tammy 9-1-1 project.
The cores of these videos were taken directly from the Tammy911.com website (2008-2010), a website built to support the efforts of the parents of Tammy Ellis, a woman who was shot and her friends dialed 9-1-1 multiple times and got a recorded message. Nearly twenty-two minutes later when help arrived, it was too late for Tammy.
A petition, both on paper and online, was circulated, asking for a Coroner's Inquest into their daughter's death, in hopes of repairing a faulty 9-1-1 emergency system. As you may find when you watch, this was a bigger problem than you might remember.
These videos were each published online from 2008-2009 by musician and future Retro Cranbrook co-founder, Gord Clark, who volunteered hundreds of hours to create and maintain the website(s) and these videos. The majority of the earlier footage and most interviews were shot professionally by Mike Turner for Global BC News, and the majority of "Don's Video Diaries" were shot by Gord on a Sony Handycam. These videos were watched by nearly 100,000 people from all over the world up until late 2010. It was a story that grabbed regional and national headlines and reverberated in the hearts of everyone who heard it.
This series is dedicated to the memories of Tammy Lee Ellis, and her father, Don Michalsky. Don passed away a few months ago. Their courage should not be forgotten.