The family of a Rancho Penasquitos woman filed a claim against the San Diego Police Department, saying her “death was entirely preventable had police responded in a reasonable time and manner.”
Prosecutors say Connie Dadkhah was murdered inside her condo last June after a man smashed his way inside through a second-floor sliding glass door. Police dispatch records show neighbors called 911 more than 10 times to report the break-in, yet those same records show it took officers nearly two hours to arrive. Once they did, police never forced their way inside to confront the suspect or see if Dadkhah was OK. The next morning, court testimony revealed, the murder suspect asked a neighbor to call the police. When they arrived, officers say they found Dadkhah dead inside.
For the past nine months, NBC 7 Investigates has been digging into the circumstances surrounding Dadkhah's killing as well as the police response. During the early days of our investigation, SDPD told us officers had reason to believe the suspect lived there and, perhaps, had locked himself out.
“Nonsense. He didn't live there,” attorney Tim Scott told NBC 7.
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Scott represents Dadkhah’s family in the civil filing, which is seeking damages exceeding $25,000.
“There was information that was available to them to make clear that he didn't live there,” Scott said. “In fact, they knew if he was the person who was at the residence, that was a red flag.”
NBC 7's reporting revealed a lot in the months that followed, including systemic problems in the ways officers get information while responding to emergencies. That includes information concerning the well-documented alleged violence against Dadkhah by the suspect, and officer notes that the suspect did not live with her.
The legal claim against the department used many of the facts NBC 7 uncovered to argue police did not respond adequately to calls for help on Dadkhah's behalf. In fact, 17 of 23 of the pages of the claim contain a copy of our first NBC 7 Investigation into her death.
Essentially, the claim says San Diego Police officers should have arrived faster and should have made sure Dadkhah was OK once they did. San Diego police told NBC 7 that officers tried calling Dadkhah and looking for her car, but their efforts proved fruitless. Officers never successfully contacted her before they decided to leave the scene.
The claim doesn’t just accuse police of inaction. Scott believes, had police not reassured 911 callers that officers were on the way, neighbors would have jumped in to try to help Dadkhah.
“They allowed neighbors and other people who would have done something to be lulled into a false sense of security that the police were going to do something,” Scott told NBC 7. “That’s where they bear responsibility.”
NBC 7 Investigates has been asking for a sit-down interview with San Diego police Chief David Nisleit for nine months but those requests have repeatedly been denied. This time, we were told the chief is out of town for the next two weeks. The department also said it won’t comment on any litigation.
Parrish Chambers Jr. is accused of killing Dadkhah. He has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to go on trial in August. In addition to murder, he also faces a false imprisonment charge for an incident involving Dadkhah eight months before she died.
