Emails: OEMS knew about the death at NNFD but did not initiate an investigation

Aesia Toliver and Sean C. Davis

8 mins ago

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) – Quandrell Williams died in a hospital on October 25, 2023, 10 days after he was shot on a porch in the 1000 block of Garden Drive in Newport News.

In April, then-interim fire chief Wesley Rogers told 10 On Your Side: First responders had not followed protocol in caring for him.

Sources close to the department said Williams lay on the floor for at least 40 minutes before being taken to the hospital.

This incident resulted in the dismissal of two NNFD firefighters, one of whom had been employed there for 15 years.

Rogers said he notified the Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS) shortly after the incident.

“After this incident, it is my responsibility as director to notify the state that the incident occurred. Now it is up to the state and its legal requirements to decide whether to initiate an investigation at this time,” he said.

Emails obtained through FOIA show that he contacted the office on October 27, two days after Williams’ death.

In April, the 10 On Your Side team contacted OEMS to inquire about an investigation.

“OEMS does not have an open investigation into this vendor and has no record of the reported incident,” the office said in an email.

Subsequent emails indicate that the office did indeed receive Rogers’ letter as well as a voicemail alerting them to a serious incident.

According to sources, at least one of the laid-off employees had found employment with another fire department in Hampton Roads.

Family announces they will demand compensation from the city

In an April 2 letter to the district attorney, attorneys for Williams’ family announced they plan to seek damages from the city’s emergency services and police officers, accusing them of “wrongful, negligent and otherwise inappropriate conduct.”

“The actions of the Newport News Emergency Services personnel and the Newport News Police Department and/or their agents include, at a minimum, negligence for their failure to provide appropriate and/or sufficient medical care, as well as general negligence which resulted in the violation of the rights of the decedent and contributed to and/or caused his subsequent death,” it states.

“These claims could include allegations of gross negligence, willful indifference and punitive damages.”

A lawyer for the family said in an email that no lawsuit has been filed yet and that they are first trying to meet with city officials.