News On 6 Obtains 911 Tapes Of Backyard Attack

Steffan Schlemme was shot and killed in his mother's backyard by a robber on Tuesday. The Schlemme family says they are overwhelmed by the outpouring of support they've had from friends and total

Thursday, September 13th 2007, 8:56 pm

By: News On 6

Steffan Schlemme was shot and killed in his mother's backyard by a robber on Tuesday. The Schlemme family says they are overwhelmed by the outpouring of support they've had from friends and total strangers alike. They also emphasized how appreciative they are of the police for catching the suspect so quickly. News On 6 crime reporter Lori Fullbright reports it was Schlemme's own father who witnessed the crime and called 911 in a panic. The News On 6 has obtained an exclusive copy of that 911 phone call.

"I have an ambulance on the way. What's the problem? Tell me exactly what happened?" said the operator.

"My son's been shot in the face," said David Schlemme.

"He's been shot in the face? How old is he?" asked the emergency operator.

"He's 27," responded Schlemme.

"Okay, just a moment, I have the ambulance on the way," the operator said.

"You okay?" Schlemme said.

"Do you know where the assailant, the person shot him is at?" asked the EMSA operator.

"No, he ran off. He tried to rob us," Schlemme responded.

David Schlemme's enjoyable afternoon with his son turned into a nightmare when a man with a gun appeared in their backyard, first asking, then demanding money. In one split second, David was losing his son, who was also his business partner and best friend.

"Hang on Steffan, hang on," Schlemme said.

"Okay, just a moment, now is he conscious right now?" the operator asked.

"I can't tell. He's not answering me, he's breathing though," Schlemme said. â€œOh God."

The ambulance arrived in only a matter of minutes, but it felt like a lifetime to a desperate father who felt helpless to save his child.

"Okay, now, can you see the bleeding, where he's bleeding?" asked the operator.

"Yes, he's bleeding all over him," said Schlemme.

"It's all over him?" the EMSA operator asked.

"Yes, um, can you, I'm sorry to be rude," Schlemme said.

"No, you're fine, try to talk to him, see if you can get him to answer you,â€ said the operator.

"Steffan, you alright?" Schlemme said.

"Can he answer you?" asked the EMSA operator.

"No, he's been shot in the head," Schlemme responded.

Steffan soon stopped breathing and EMSA talked his father through CPR until the paramedics arrived, but despite everyone's best efforts, the wounds were too great, the blood loss, too much. Steffan Schlemme died for no good reason, at the age of 27.

Because the community has also been impacted by this crime, Steffan's family will hold a public viewing on Saturday afternoon from noon until 4 p.m. at the Cremation Society, located at 2103 East 3rd Street. They ask people not to send flowers, but instead make donations to the Citizen Crime Commission for the Crimestoppers fund, their address is P.O. Box 1596, Tulsa, OK 74101.

Watch the video: Brutal Backyard Attack 911 Tapes Released

Related stories:

9/11/2007 Robbery Outside A Home Turns Fatal

9/12/2007 Police Arrest Murder Suspect