FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Medric Cecil Mills, Jr.s Son to Testify Emergency Across the Street from D.C. Fire Station
WASHINGTON, DC February 24, 2014 Medric Cecil Mills, Jr. suffered a fatal heart attack directly across the street from D.C. Fire Engine House 26, while five D.C. Fire and EMS Department personnel inside the fire station refused to provide medical assistance. On Feb. 24, Medrics son will testify before a D.C. Council Committee investigating the death of his father. The outrageous circumstances surrounding Medric Cecil Mills, Jr.s tragic death has captured the attention of the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, including its politicians. On Fri. 24, the D.C. Councils Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety is holding an oversight hearing to review and discuss Mills death and the policies and procedures of D.C.s Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department. Councilmember Tommy Wells is chairperson of the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee. The tragic and avoidable death of Medric Cecil Mills, Jr. shows that the current status quo is not working and that procedural and legal change is required, Karen Evans, partner with The Cochran Firm, D.C. and the Mills familys attorney, said. Todays hearing will act as a catalyst for that change. Recently released 911 audio and an internal report released Feb. 21 by the D.C. Office of the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice shed new and disturbing light on the shocking case involving Medric Cecil Mills, Jr. The Deputy Mayors report reveals outrageous negligence at Fire Engine House 26, whose firefighters failed to help Medric Cecil Mills, Jr., when he suffered a fatal heart attack directly across the street. The report reveals that: Five D.C. Fire and EMS employees were present in the fire station when bystanders pleaded for them to help Medric Cecil Mills, Jr. The firefighter working at the fire stations watch desk placed two calls over the stations Public Announcement (PA) system when he learned that Mills was suffering a medical emergency directly across the street from the fire station. The Lieutenant Firefighter in who supervised the fire station failed to respond to both public announcements, which indicated that [t]heres a man across the street that needs help. The firefighter working at the watch desk told a second firefighter about Mills medical emergency across the street from the fire station. In response, the second firefighter stated that
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they were not dispatched to the call. The second firefighter informed the Lieutenant what was happening. The Lieutenant asked for the exact address of the incident. The second firefighter did not obtain the exact address. Instead, the second firefighter subsequently gathered personal items and books from his car and went to his bunkroom to study while lying down in his bed. When the Lieutenant found the second firefighter studying a book lying down on his bed, the second firefighter stated that an ambulance had been dispatched to the scene but went to the wrong address, but he thought it was alright since [the 911 dispatcher] had finally dispatched [the ambulance] to the correct address. None of the five D.C. Fire and EMS employees in the fire station provided medical care to Mr. Mills when he suffered a fatal heart attack directly across the street from the fire station. The lieutenant in charge of the fire station did not update the fire stations journal to reflect that citizens came to the station to report the incident or request medical assistance. The lieutenant also failed to inform her superior, the Battalion Fire Chief, of the incident. The Battalion Fire Chief only learned of the tragedy when EMS workers responding to the scene notified him. The fire stations vocal alarm system was manually turned off and not functioning in the main bunkroom. The 911 call taker who answered the initial call failed to ask for a quadrant and improperly entered NW as the quadrant. The 911 call reveals that the caller immediately told the 911 call taker that the incident occurred in the Northeast quadrant. The D.C. Councils oversight hearing on Mills death takes place 2 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 24, 2014 at Room 120, John A. Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20004. About The Cochran Firm: Founded by legendary attorney Johnnie L Cochran, Jr., The Cochran Firm's Washington D.C. office has a team of seasoned attorneys who handle high-profile cases involving catastrophic personal injury, wrongful death, medical malpractice, nursing home abuse, sexual harassment, product liability, among other legal matters. About Karen E. Evans, Esq. Karen Evans is a litigator in The Cochran Firms Washington, D.C. office. Throughout her 23-year career as trial attorney, she has successfully prosecuted a wide variety of high-stakes litigation matters involving medical negligence and other catastrophic injuries. With an AV Preeminent rating, she has been awarded the highest level of professional ethics and excellence by Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review. She has been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers, The Bar Register of Preeminent Women Lawyers, The National Trial Lawyers, Top 100 Lawyers and the Washington Post, Baltimore and Washington D.C.s Top Lawyers, among other honors. For more information: Media contact: Will Atkinson, Watkinson@cochranfirm.com Local Phone: 202-682-5800 Website: CochranFirmDC.com Twitter: @CochranFirmDC

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