"My daughter could have been saved," says the mother of a woman killed in an Uptown hotel while security officers were outside the door waiting for Dallas police.
Jacqueline-Rose Parguian Nicholas, 32, was killed Monday night at Hotel ZaZa more than an hour after hotel security had called 911.
"She could still be with us," said Tess Parguian.
Peter Noble Nicholas III, 30, faces a murder charge in his wife's death. The couple has two children together.
Jacqueline and Peter Nicholas, who is known as DJ Pete Mash, checked into Room 228 Monday. That night, at 10:19, someone called 911 about a woman “possibly high on drugs inside a hotel room screaming.”
Within six minutes, Dallas Fire-Rescued responded, but it's department policy that they cannot enter until police arrive in case of potential violence.
So firefighters and paramedic waited outside, while Jacqueline Nicholas could be heard screaming inside her room.
“Regardless of why she is on high drug or whatever, she is calling for help,” Parguian said.
Hotel security officers heard yelling and scuffling inside the room. And at 11:29 p.m., security was outside the room when they heard a gunshot.
“They could have rushed in there in an instant and saved my daughter,” Parguian said. “I’m in shock, my body shakes, and my heart is broken.”
A few minutes later, at 11:32 p.m., Dallas police officers arrived.
“I don’t understand why it took that long for them to help my daughter,” Parguian said. “It’s not right. They should have been there the minute my daughter called for help.”
Parguian said her daughter is a mother of two boys, ages 8 and 3.
“How do we explain to those little angels that their parents are both not going to be there anymore, ya know?” she said.
The mother said she never heard about violence between her daughter and son-in-law. She said the couple loved each other.
“Peter is a nice young man. He’s very polite, and that’s why I cannot believe he could do such a thing,” Paguian said.
Parguian is currently in the Phillipines, but will make the trip to Dallas this weekend. She hopes to get justice for her daughter.
She says she is struggling to understand why her daughter is dead.
“I never imagined that this would happen to her,” she said.
The family has set up a GoFundMe to raise money to cover funeral costs and care for the children.
Dallas Police Department officials released a timeline of the response:
- 10:19 p.m.: The Hotel ZaZa 911 call is labeled a Priority 2 call.
- 10:20 p.m.: An ambulance is requested at the hotel for a possible overdose.
- 10:23 p.m.: While Dallas Fire-Rescue is en route, a 911 caller says a woman is threatening suicide. That call is labeled as a Priority 2.
- 10:25 p.m.: Dallas Fire-Rescue arrives and "stages per their policy."
- 11:26 p.m.: Dallas patrol officers are assigned to the Priority 2 call.
- 11:29 p.m.: A gunshot is reported while officers are driving to the hotel. the call was moved from a Priority 2 to Priority 1.
- 11:32 p.m.: Patrol officers arrive on scene.