City describes police response, timeline in weekend 911 incident
Officer arrived on scene within 3 minutes of receiving call

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JOHNS CREEK, GA—On August 2 at 1:26 pm, Johns Creek Police responded to an emergency call dispatched through the Fulton County 911 center regarding a woman having difficulty breathing.

The responding officer arrived on scene at 602 Wales Drive in the St. Andrews apartment complex off of Jones Bridge Road within three minutes of receiving the call and obtained a key to the apartment from the leasing office. A Fulton County fire engine arrived on the scene at approximately the same time. When the officer and a firefighter tried to enter the apartment, they found that the dead bolt was engaged and were forced to kick in the door.

They found the victim, 39-year-old Darlene Dukes, lying on her back unconscious in the master bedroom. The officer and a firefighter began CPR immediately. As backup arrived, additional personnel assisted with two officers and three firefighters making the effort until Rural Metro Ambulance personnel arrived at 2:01 pm and took over resuscitation and treatment efforts. One of the officers noted that Ms. Dukes appeared to have a pulse at least twice during CPR.

Rural Metro transported her to Emory Johns Creek but she ultimately passed away at approximately 3:05 pm. The cause of death was a pulmonary embolism – a blood clot in the lungs – according to the Fulton County Medical Examiners Office.

“Our Police Department responded swiftly and our police officers and Fulton County firefighters made a heroic effort to save her life but those efforts simply were not successful,” said City Manager John Kachmar. “This was a tragic incident, and on behalf of the entire City, we extend our thoughts, prayers and deepest sympathies to Ms. Dukes’ family.”

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Media Contact:
Bill Doughty, APR
Director of Communications
P 678-512-3274 / C 678-577-8152

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For the latest news about the City of Johns Creek, visit our home page: www.JohnsCreekGA.gov.