Memphian dies behind bars after 911 call confusion causes ambulance delay

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - The family of Corrion Partee, 24, is asking for an investigation after employees at Riverbend Maximum Security Prison in Nashville did not know the prison’s address or the code needed to let paramedics through the gate during a 911 call.

Partee’s family said they learned it took employees nearly 20 minutes to get an ambulance onto the grounds.

“It took them 19 minutes to figure out a code. That’s something you’re already supposed to know,” said Cortney Partee, Corrion’s older brother.

What the 911 recordings capture

In the first 911 clip, an employee said, “We have an inmate that needs an ambulance.”

The employee did not know the prison’s address. The employee said, “Yes... the address of the emergency is... what is Riverbend’s address?” The employee then said, “This is the first time I’ve ever had to do this... give me a moment, please.”

The employee then transferred the 911 call to voicemail.

A recording on the call said, “Hello... Cisco Unity connection messaging system.”

The 911 operator responded in a shocked tone, “What?”

The operator hung up and called back. He was immediately transferred to a shift commander, put on hold with music playing for a full minute before someone answered.

“Capt. Jones?” answered the Riverbend employee.

The 911 dispatcher replied, “Sir, this is Metro 911... someone’s trying to transfer me to get an ambulance to y’all.”

Capt. Jones tells the operator, “Yes, hold on.”

The next Riverbend employee picks up the line: “Hello?” they ask.

“Yes, this is 911,” the dispatcher says on the recording, “I understand you need an ambulance.”

The woman on the line responded, “Umm... inmate... I mean... he’s got no pulse.”

Gate code needed for ambulance entry

An ambulance crew needs a special code to get onto prison grounds for security reasons. But none of the Riverbend prison workers knew the code.

When 911 calls back to ask for it, an employee says, “It’s a Code 4. Medical emergency.”

“Nope. That’s not what I’m asking,“ 911 replies. ”I’m not calling back to get what the medical emergency is. I’ve already spoken with them. I’m calling back to verify the code, which is standard procedure for us entering the prison.”

Similar delay during Pike execution attempt

The same confusion happened the night of Christa Pike’s botched execution attempt two weeks earlier.

It took 25 minutes for the ambulance to get to the prison.

“That shows you these people do not care about anyone. Anyone,” said Corry Partee, Corrion’s father, “we haven’t had any answers from the warden, not even from the Tennessee Department of Corrections. If you get your justice out of my child, we should get justice out of you.”

Family says officials gave no explanation

Partee’s family said prison officials offered no explanation and no apology to them. They say they found out about his death from a fellow inmate, not the state, and they learned about the 911 confusion from a TikTok post.

“Everybody failed my nephew. Whether he did wrong. Whether he did right. He still was a human,” said Rochelle Phillips, Corrion’s aunt.

Partee was finishing a nine-year sentence for robbery. Instead of planning a welcome home party, his family planned his funeral, held this past Saturday.

“He never got his second chance, and they’re gonna try to brush it on... send it on down the drain like nothing happened... this is hurting my whole family,” Cortney Partee said, “my brother was supposed to make it back home to us. He didn’t get his second chance. They took that away from him.”

State agency has not responded

Action News 5 contacted the Tennessee Department of Corrections with questions about how this could happen and what the department is doing to correct flaws in the system.

TDOC has not responded.

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