Denver police are being pressed to explain why it took officers at least 15 minutes Monday night to arrive at a home just one mile from the nearest police station where a man killed his wife, reports the city’s Post. The victim, Kristine Kirk, spent 13 minutes on the phone with 911 before her husband, Richard Kirk, shot and killed her. Richard Kirk is in custody, facing a first-degree murder charge.
Police have declined to release the audio in which victim Kirk told a 911 operator that her husband was hallucinating, talking about the end of the world and asking her to kill him. Denver police dispatch alerted two officers about a domestic violence report at the Kirk home at 9:32 p.m. Officers were warned that Kirk’s wife said he had been smoking marijuana and was frightening the couple’s three young sons. There was a handgun in the house, but Kristine, 44, said it was locked away. More than 10 minutes later, Kristine screamed and a shot was heard.