I-Team: 911 recordings from Springfield shooting

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - It was a terrible crime that Springfield residents and police officers will never forget: the murder of Officer Kevin Ambrose last year.

The 22News I-Team dug deeper with never before heard sounds of the 911 recordings and messages that lead up to the shooting.

A warning this could be disturbing.

"What we're looking for is officer Ambrose, dispatch to Officer Ambrose."

They're the frantic 911 police recordings you've never heard, until now.

"Female shot on the 3rd floor."

It was Monday June 4th,2012 when Shawn Bryan, a corrections officer in New York, went to get a TV from his ex-girlfriends apartment in Springfield. The 22News I-Team obtained the call Charlene Mitchell made to police that morning looking for protection.

"I just had a restraining order taken out on my child's father, I have his TV at my house, he's there to get his TV, I want a policeman there so he can get it safely," Mitchell could be heard saying to police.

Springfield Police Officer Kevin Ambrose was the officer who responded, it also became the last call the 36-year police veteran would ever respond to.

"The police officer just got shot, we don't know if the lady upstairs got shot also," a neighbor who called 911 said.

Bryan killed Officer Ambrose, seriously wounded Mitchell before turning the gun on himself.

Mitchell herself called for help after being shot.

"Ma'am, open the door for the police. I don't think she can, I think she was shot in the head or in the hand," 911 dispatchers said.

After the shooting lots of people asked themselves, why?  How could a corrections officer do such a thing?

The 22News I-Team obtained the text messages between Mitchell and Bryan that helps us understand.

"You don't want to pay for child care."

"You have a single parents mentality," some of the texts read.

The I-Team discovered, the day before the shooting, the two had been arguing over their ended, seemingly abusive relationship and the young daughter they shared.

The day of the shooting - texts read violence. Names were redacted by police but we found this one threatening to shoot someone.

"Yo. Kid I'm gonna shoot this b****," the text reads.

Other messages appear to show remorse reading, "It's amazing how things in life change, I guess I’m the worst thing ever, I guess I gotta ask God for forgiveness."

We showed the messages to Springfield Police Sgt. John Delaney who says the response to the call would have been different, had they known any kind of violence was being threatened.

“If it was an ongoing domestic where there's violence involved, it would've been treated (different) but that wasn't the nature of the call it was to assist someone to get a TV out of a house so we respond to those things all the time,” Sgt. Delaney said.  “Its just one of those things when you look back on, it’s unfortunate.”

This case involved a restraining order. Mitchell had one on Bryan and because of this case, Springfield police have changed their policy so the order is filed at the police department first. It no longer goes to the victim first. That way police are aware of the potential for violence.