Authorities on Wednesday released the 911 call placed by Courtland Smith, a student at UNC Chapel Hill who was shot and killed by Archdale police after officers pulled him over on Interstate 85 early Sunday.
During the call, Smith, a 21-year-old junior at UNC, tells a Guilford County dispatcher he's driving drunk and asks if someone can come drive with him. He says he has a 9 millimeter pistol with him and says, "I'm trying to kill myself on I-40."
Throughout the 15-minute call, the dispatcher asks for the caller's name and his location. He only admits his first name is an "old family name." Smith also says "everything that anyone needed to know got e-mailed to my parents."
Listen to the call now
At one point, Smith, who says he's driving a 2004 (Toyota) Forerunner, tells the dispatcher he's trying to get to 110 mph and is currently driving 95 mph.
As the dispatcher asks for Smith's location, he continues to rattle off exit numbers, claiming he's heading west on Interstate 40 toward Asheville. But according to the exit numbers, he's really on I-85 South.
He also tells the dispatcher he will not stop, despite her requests for him to pull over.
"I really appreciate what you're doing," Smith tells the dispatcher.
Almost 10 minutes into the call, Smith asks how much longer it will take police to arrive. Guilford officers never find him, but about three minutes later, Archdale police pull him over.
"Whoa! There's two of them," Smith says. "You don't have any contact with these cops do you?"
"I don't, no," responds the dispatcher. "They're from another county."
The call ends after police apparently pull Smith over. He tells the dispatcher someone is flashing lights at him and says he's pulling over. You can then hear voices yell, "Stay in the car!"
A quality assurance worker for Guilford Metro 911 said the phone call was terminated by Smith. He said Guilford Metro 911 called Archdale police and Randolph 911 to alert them to the possibility that Smith was headed toward their jurisdiction.
Archdale police said there was a confrontation during the stop, during which an officer shot and killed Smith. He died early Sunday morning at Moses Cone Hospital in Greensboro. The college junior was shot by 29-year-old police officer Jeremy Paul Flinchum, a spokesman said.
Smith, who was from Houston, was president of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity at UNC.
In a statement released in response to the 911 call, a spokesperson for Smith's fraternity said Smith appeared fine when he left a party at the fraternity at approximately 12:30 a.m. and went to his off-campus residence. According to the statement, Smith spoke with his roommates at approximately 2 a.m. and "sounded normal."
During the call, Smith, a 21-year-old junior at UNC, tells a Guilford County dispatcher he's driving drunk and asks if someone can come drive with him. He says he has a 9 millimeter pistol with him and says, "I'm trying to kill myself on I-40."
Throughout the 15-minute call, the dispatcher asks for the caller's name and his location. He only admits his first name is an "old family name." Smith also says "everything that anyone needed to know got e-mailed to my parents."
Listen to the call now
At one point, Smith, who says he's driving a 2004 (Toyota) Forerunner, tells the dispatcher he's trying to get to 110 mph and is currently driving 95 mph.
As the dispatcher asks for Smith's location, he continues to rattle off exit numbers, claiming he's heading west on Interstate 40 toward Asheville. But according to the exit numbers, he's really on I-85 South.
He also tells the dispatcher he will not stop, despite her requests for him to pull over.
"I really appreciate what you're doing," Smith tells the dispatcher.
Almost 10 minutes into the call, Smith asks how much longer it will take police to arrive. Guilford officers never find him, but about three minutes later, Archdale police pull him over.
"Whoa! There's two of them," Smith says. "You don't have any contact with these cops do you?"
"I don't, no," responds the dispatcher. "They're from another county."
The call ends after police apparently pull Smith over. He tells the dispatcher someone is flashing lights at him and says he's pulling over. You can then hear voices yell, "Stay in the car!"
A quality assurance worker for Guilford Metro 911 said the phone call was terminated by Smith. He said Guilford Metro 911 called Archdale police and Randolph 911 to alert them to the possibility that Smith was headed toward their jurisdiction.
Archdale police said there was a confrontation during the stop, during which an officer shot and killed Smith. He died early Sunday morning at Moses Cone Hospital in Greensboro. The college junior was shot by 29-year-old police officer Jeremy Paul Flinchum, a spokesman said.
Smith, who was from Houston, was president of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity at UNC.
In a statement released in response to the 911 call, a spokesperson for Smith's fraternity said Smith appeared fine when he left a party at the fraternity at approximately 12:30 a.m. and went to his off-campus residence. According to the statement, Smith spoke with his roommates at approximately 2 a.m. and "sounded normal."
