ISU and Ames Police dispatchers took part in a nearly 40-minute 911 call with ISU students Laura Johnson and Rachel Wall the morning of March 16.

Johnson, freshman in psychology and resident of Willow Hall, called 911 and said she observed a gunman on the sixth floor of the building.

During the call, Johnson often spoke to a “Brinn,” but the two were unwilling to reveal her last name.

According to court documents, a no-contact order was suggested for Johnson and Brinn Melody, freshman in kinesiology and health, after police arrested Jawon Jackson, 20, of Aurora, Ill., in connection with the incident.

Jackson was found in Room 6253 of Willow Hall, where Melody resides.

He was later charged with going armed with intent, carrying a weapon on school grounds and first-degree harassment.

He was released from jail at approximately 9 a.m. March 20 after police were unable to find a weapon and a witness said he or she may not have seen a gun.

During the call, after a description of the gunman was given, it was revealed that one of the witnesses is the ex-girlfriend of the man reported being seen with a gun. At the time, however, neither was willing to give his name.

According to court documents, witnesses said Jackson went to his vehicle and retrieved a gun. Witnesses said Jackson then pointed it at Marvin Cosby, freshman in journalism and mass communication.

“When we saw him with the gun, we just ran,” Johnson said during the phone call while crying loudly.

Johnson said the two girls ran from the sixth floor, where she said she saw the gunman, to the third-floor room of community adviser Rachel Wall, sophomore in pre-diet and exercise.

Approximately 30 minutes into the phone call, Johnson asked to be let off the phone and Wall took over and continued speaking with the dispatcher.

While Wall was on the phone, she said she was told the gunman had the keys and phone of one of the witnesses in the room.

A pellet gun was found Sunday in a room in Willow Hall that ISU Police Cmdr. Gene Deisinger said had been previously searched.

The gun has yet to be linked with the case, although according to the press release, it is believed to be connected.

Deisinger said the weapon was sent to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation’s crime laboratory in Ankeny for forensic examination.

He said he was not willing to discuss possible charges unless the gun was linked to the case.

This is a transcript of a 911 emergency call on March 16 between ISU student Laura Johnson and Ames and ISU Police dispatchers. Johnson initially made the phone call, but Willow Hall third-floor community adviser Rachel Wall took over later.

Dispatcher: OK, what floor are you on?

Laura Johnson: Brinn, what floor are we on? What floor are we on? We’re on third, we’re on the third floor right now.

Dispatcher: Third floor?

Johnson: Yeah. [Muffled crying in the background.] He’s not on the third floor with us.

Dispatcher: Third floor of Willow Hallb there’s a man with a gun. Go ahead, ma’am, tell ’em more.

Johnson: What?

Dispatcher: Tell the dispatcher more. What’s the description?

Johnson: [Unintelligible.]

Dispatcher: What’s the description, ma’am?

Johnson: The description, like … [Unintelligible crying.]

Dispatcher: Can you calm down and tell me the description please? Is it a white male?

Johnson: Like what happened? No, he’s black, he’s like a big black guy. [Crying.]

Dispatcher: Black male.

Johnson: [Unintelligible.]

Dispatcher: OK, what’s the clothing description, ma’am.

Johnson: Brinn, what’s he wearing? Brinn, I don’t remember what he’s wearing.

Dispatcher: Does he have long jeans on? Does he have jeans on?

Johnson: Um, yeah.

Dispatcher: Jeans?

Johnson: And then a white shirt.

Dispatcher: A white shirt? OK. What’s a number you can be reached at?

Johnson: This one. I don’t know this number. Hang on.

Dispatcher: Do you have it, Ames?

Johnson: I have [gives number].

Another Dispatcher: And do you have somebody en route to that location?

Dispatcher: Yeah, I put it out.

Another Dispatcher: OK, thank you.

Johnson: Do you have … do you guys need my number?

Dispatcher: I have it, ma’am, and where are you at right now?

Johnson: I’m on third floor Willow. We just ran down the stairs.

Dispatcher: Are you in a room? Are you . ?

Johnson: Yeah, yeah, we’re with the CA [Community Advisor] on this floor right now. We’re in, like, this room, and we locked it and stuff.

Dispatcher: OK, and it was a black male, he’s wearing jeans. What kind of shirt did he have, can you tell me that?

Johnson: I don’t, I don’t remember, it was like a dark shirt, I don’t ‘member, he’s – I don’t ‘member.

Dispatcher : If you went to a different floor, what floor is he on?

Johnson: He has a white and black jacket on.

Dispatcher: What floor is he on?

Johnson: He was on sixth floor.

Dispatcher: Was on sixth floor?

Johnson: He was on … [Breathing heavily.] There’s uh, I mean, there’s other, like, black guys, like, with, like, the … Like our .

Dispatcher: How many did you see together?

Johnson: Oh, well, there’s three of ’em, that are like friends with us.

Dispatcher: Three of them?

Johnson: Yeah, that are like friends with us, and then he just came here.

Dispatcher: So, he, umm, how … OK, three people with the man with the gun?

Johnson: No. No. No. No. No. There’s three guys that are, like, with us.

Dispatcher: Three guys with you?

Johnson: And they’re also black and I don’t want them to be in trouble.

Dispatcher: No, no, no, that’s fine. Did he threaten you? Point the gun?

Johnson: No, when we saw him with the gun we just ran. [Starts to cry again.]

Dispatcher: Was it a big gun or a little gun?

Johnson: [Sobbing incoherently.]

Dispatcher: Can you calm down here and can you just give us a description?

Johnson: What’d it look like? It was black and it was, like, the size of my hand maybe, I don’t know. I don’t know.

Dispatcher: It was a handgun, you said?

Johnson: Yeah, yeah.

Dispatcher: And he just had it in his hand?

Johnson: Yeah. [Crying.] Where are you guys right now? Are there people coming right now?

Dispatcher : Yes, ma’am, I have some officers coming right now.

Johnson: OK. [Coughing.]

Dispatcher: OK, and you guys said that you’re on the third floor, are you in the CA’s room right now?

Johnson: Yeah, yeah.

Dispatcher: And did you happen to see any tattoos on him?

Johnson: [Sighs loudly.] Umm…

Dispatcher: Anything that could.

Johnson: Brinn, did he have any … Does he have any tattoos or anything?

Unidentified woman: Yeah.

Johnson: Yeah.

Dispatcher: What kind of tattoo?

Johnson: He has his last name on his neck.

Dispatcher: Last name on his neck. Do you happen to know what that is?

Johnson: He has two on his arm.

Dispatcher: He has two on his arm?

Johnson: He has three on his arm.

Dispatcher: Three on his arm. Do you know what any of them were?

Johnson: Um, his last name is on his neck and one’s on his arm. He has some Chinese symbols on his arm and stuff.

Dispatcher: Chinese symbols on his arm?

Johnson: Yeah.

[Unidentified woman in background asking a question.]

Dispatcher: Is it a black and white Adidas coat?

Johnson: Is it a black and white Adidas coat? I don’t know. We don’t know.

Dispatcher: Ma’am?

Johnson: Yeah.

Dispatcher: What kind of hair did he have?

Johnson: Umm…

Dispatcher: Like was it longer? Did he have dreadlocks?

Johnson: He has, like, shorter hair. Yeah. I think he was wearing a hat. [Crying in background.]

Dispatcher: Wearing a hat, what kind of hat? Do you know what color hat it was?

Johnson: I don’t know … I don’t know. [Starts crying.]

Dispatcher: It’s fine, we’re just trying to get the best description we can, OK, so we can look into it and, um, look for individuals leaving that area.

Johnson: I know.

Dispatcher: And I know you’re really scared and nervous but just any information that you can give me at this time is really helpful.

Johnson: Uh-huh, I know.

Dispatcher: Do you know if it was like a green hat, a white hat.

Johnson: It’s like a dark hat. [Crying.]

Dispatcher: That’s fine, we have officers out there, both Ames Police Department and ISU Police Department out there.

Johnson: I don’t even know what’s going on up there . I don’t even know what’s going on up there.

Dispatcher: We have a whole bunch of officers in the area.

Johnson: What? You what?

Dispatcher: We have Ames Police Department and ISU officers and they’re both armed and they’ll be looking for the individual. Would you like for them to possibly come up to your area? They can maybe get a better description?

[Crying in background.]

Dispatcher: Are you guys all in a room right now together?

Johnson: Yeah.

Dispatcher: What’s the room number that you’re in?

Johnson: Um, what room number are you in? 3- what? 3237. [Crying in the background.]

Dispatcher: 3237.

Johnson: Yes, third floor.

Dispatcher: And how many of you are there?

Johnson: There’s three of us.

Dispatcher: There’s three of you?

Johnson: Yes.

Dispatcher: So what happened to your friends that you were with? The three. Are you guys with one black male, is that what you were telling me earlier? And there’s three females?

Johnson: What? [Crying.]

Dispatcher: Is that correct?

Johnson: What’d you say? I’m sorry. What?

Dispatcher: OK, there’s two females and one female in that room, correct?

Johnson: No, we just ran to the CA on this floor, this girl came up. Me and my friend, the other girl that was upstairs with me on sixth floor, we just ran.

Dispatcher: OK, that’s fine and what happened to the black friend that you were talking about earlier.

Johnson: Three other, three other black guys, they, uh, two of them went down in the elevator to try to find, uh, to try to find this other guy, and then … There was this other guy just standing there . three of us were just talking to try to calm my friend down ’cause she was all, like, upset and we came out. Then came out of the room. [Crying.]

Dispatcher: OK, I’m going to give them a description there, and I’ll just keep you on the phone, if we get disconnected give me a call back OK?

Johnson: [Unintelligible crying.]

Woman in background: [Screaming] Get off the fucking phone! Get off the phone!

Dispatcher: What time did you guys see him?

[Woman in background screaming unintelligibly.]

Johnson: What?

Dispatcher: How many minutes ago did you see him?

Johnson: I called you right as we were, like, running down the stairs.

Dispatcher: OK.

[Woman in background crying.]

Dispatcher: OK, can I get your name please, ma’am?

Johnson: My name’s Laura Johnson.

Dispatcher: J-O-H-N-S-O-N.

Johnson: S-O-N.

Dispatcher: L-A-U-R-A.

Johnson: Yes.

Woman in background: LAURA! LAURA!

Dispatcher: Can you tell your friend to calm down a little bit and be quiet?

Woman in background: LAURA! [Unintelligible.]

Dispatcher: Would it help if I talked to her, and assured her that there’s people there? Can you hold for just one minute actually? I’m getting a call here.

Dispatcher: Can you hold for a minute? Can you hold for a minute?

Johnson: Hello?

Dispatcher: Hello. Can I have you hold for a minute?

[Woman yelling in the background unintelligibly.]

Johnson: Do you guys need me to be on the phone right now?

Dispatcher: What?

Johnson: Do you guys need to be on the phone with me right now, or can I go, please?

Dispatcher: No, you really should stay on the phone with us if you can OK? And can you ask your roommate to be quiet, or whoever that is?

Dispatcher: OK, I’m back, sorry about that.

Johnson: Where are … are they up on the . where are … where are the people right now? What are they doing?

Dispatcher: They’re, uh … hey, ma’am.

Johnson: Yeah?

Dispatcher: Where was the last place that you saw him running on the sixth floor, what side of the hall did you guys see him on?

Johnson: The same side as the CA. Her name’s Shauna. There’s like a big board with like pictures of her and stuff, we were on that side.

Dispatcher: And how many of you actually saw him?

Johnson: What?

Dispatcher: How many of you actually saw him?

Johnson: Me and my friend that ran down.

Dispatcher: OK, and you’re Laura Johnson, correct?

Johnson: Yeah, yeah [Laughing.]

Dispatcher: And then what’s your friends name?

Johnson: Um, do you need it?

Dispatcher: Um, if at all possible so we can put you in as witnesses in this case.

Johnson: I’d rather not, I’d rather not, cause I’m not talking to her. Like, I don’t want her to be a part of it. [Sniffs.]

Woman in background: Johnson.

Dispatcher: It would really be beneficial for the case.

Johnson: I don’t. I don’t want to.

Dispatcher: OK, that’s fine. [Unintelligible.] What you guys have seen then, is just that there was a handgun that was displayed and he didn’t threaten you or anything, he just walked around with it?

Johnson: [Unintelligible.]

Woman in background screaming: Johnson, stop talking about it, Johnson. [Unintelligible.]

Johnson: Can I get off the phone please? Can I please get off, can I please get off the phone?

[Woman in background screaming.]

Dispatcher: Is it possible that we can just stay on the phone with you so that we can gather more information?

Johnson: How much longer? How much longer do I have to stay on the phone right now? Can I please, please, get off the phone. [Crying.]

Dispatcher: Excuse me?

Johnson: How much longer do I have to stay on the phone right now?

[Woman crying in background.]

Dispatcher: We just want you there so when the officers are giving us more information then we can ask you if they have any questions.

Unidentified Woman: Hello?

Dispatcher: Can you be reached at this number?

Unidentified Woman: Hi, this is um, Wall. I’m with [Unintelligible.] I’m , um, the CA, they’re in my room right now. So I can stay on the phone with you guys until …

Dispatcher: What?

Rachel Wall: I can stay on the phone with you guys until they arrive.

Dispatcher: OK.

Wall: Are you guys .

Dispatcher: Where are they going to go?

Wall: They’re in my room right now.

Dispatcher: And they’re going to stay there with you, correct?

Wall: Right.

Dispatcher: Don’t let them leave or go out of your room.

Wall: OK. I won’t. I figure I’m in a better state than they are to talk on the phone.

Dispatcher: Yeah, we need to just get that initial description.

Wall: What’d you need?

Dispatcher: We just needed the initial description.

Wall: Of my room?

Dispatcher: Nevermind, sorry.

Wall: Oh, you’re fine. Is there someone here in Willow, or …

Dispatcher: Yeah, there’s all kinds of police officers there, they’re just …they have to do it the right way so nobody gets hurt.

Wall: OK, and you guys know my room number.

Dispatcher: Yep, I have it as, 3237 Willow Hall.

Wall: Yes, that’s correct.

[Girls crying in the background.]

Dispatcher: Can you try and ask them if the guys that they were with, if they seemed like they knew this guy with the gun?

Wall: Um, let me ask.

Wall: [to the women in the background] Do you guys, um, OK, so there was a guy and then his friend, do you know his friend?

Dispatcher: Was that coat … Can you ask them about the coat that he was wearing? Did it have black on top, white in the middle and black on the bottom?

Wall: [to the other women in the room] Um, do you guys know if he was wearing a black coat, with white in the middle and then black on the bottom? You don’t remember? [to dispatch] They don’t remember.

Dispatcher: Ma’am? Ma’am? Yes, do you happen to know, like, how he was holding the gun? My director wants to know.

Wall: I’ll ask. [to the women] Do you guys happen to know how he was holding the gun?

Unidentified Woman: He didn’t point it at us.

Wall: [to dispatch] They said he didn’t point it at anyone, it was just down at his side.

Dispatcher: OK, but it was down in his hand.

Wall: It was in his hands. OK, can you make sure that its not … I know there’s a lot you guys have to do, um they seem really distressed, so can you make sure that their names and stuff [Unintelligible.]

Dispatcher: Yeah, they’re probably just going to start getting everyone out of the building right now, so just sit tight and just try and keep them calm. It sounds like they’ve calmed down really well.

Wall: OK, yeah they’re doing better.

Dispatcher: They’ll be careful when they interview them.

Wall: OK, OK that sounds good.

Dispatcher: Wall what’s your last name?

Wall: Wall. W-A-L-L.

Dispatcher: And your first name please?

Wall: R-A-C-H-E-L.

Dispatcher: And what address do you live at?

Wall: My home address or my address at school? [Gives her address.]

Dispatcher: And a phone number that you can be reached at, Wall?

Wall: 319. 330. 2927. Maybe put [Gives number] Where are you guys at?

Dispatcher: They’re all over the building.

Wall: Oh, ok.

Dispatcher: But don’t answer your door unless we tell you too.

Wall: OK, I can do that. Yeah, and I don’t think they have their ID’s or anything on them, they were just running through the hallway.

[Wall takes a phone call from her hall director and explains the situation to her while the women start crying in the background.]

Wall gets disconnected with the dispatcher at this point and calls back.

Wall: Hello? Am I on the line?

Dispatcher: Yeah, you’re on the line.

Wall: [on a separate phone call] Yeah, I kind of don’t have the full view of everything that’s going on, a couple of girls are in here right now and they seem distressed and so they came into my room and locked the door and one of them has a former boyfriend who potentially had a gun in the building. So the police are here right now and they’re on their way to our room. I think they’re going to make sure everyone’s safe first. I’ll give you a call, in a little bit. After we talk to some people. [to dispatch] Hello?

Dispatcher: Yes, we’re still here.

Wall: Did you guys need any information about the building or anything, or was everyone able to get in ok? I know some of the doors were locked.

Dispatcher: Yeah, we’ve got all kinds of officers in. They just have to do it real methodically and go floor to floor and watch all of the elevators and all of the exits and we’ve only got so many people so it’s kind of a slow process.

Wall: Yeah, ok.

Dispatcher: It’ll take awhile, but they are there.

Wall: OK, that’s fine, that’s fine.

Dispatcher: They’ll make sure no one gets hurt, hopefully.

Wall: Yeah, that’s the most important thing. OK. I guess the ex-boyfriend stole her keys and her phone.

Dispatcher: He did what, stole what?

Wall: He stole her keys and her phone, or he has them with him.

Dispatcher: Is the ex-boyfriend of the girl that you’re with, that’s in your room?

Wall: Uh …

Dispatcher: Or a different girl?

Wall: Uh, there’s two girls in my room. The one you were talking on the phone with and then a friend.

Dispatcher: Can you ask them what color hat he was wearing? Was it black?

Wall: Um, I don’t think the guy that had a gun had a hat on.

Dispatcher: OK, they told me that he did.

Wall: Yeah, I don’t … [to the women in the background] he didn’t have a hat on did he?

Dispatcher: ‘Cause she told me shorter hair with a hat.

Wall: He didn’t have like a baseball cap, on it was more of a like those, clasp hats.

Dispatcher : A skullcap?

Wall: What?

Dispatcher: A skullcap?

Wall: Yeah.

Dispatcher: So it wasn’t a baseball cap, it was like a stocking cap.

Wall: You can’t . [Girls laughing in the background.]

[Unintelligible.]

Dispatcher: You still there, Wall?

Wall: Yep, I’m still here.

Dispatcher to Dispatcher: She does know the guy that has the gun.

Dispatcher: Yes.

Dispatcher to Wall: That was 3217, correct?

Wall: 3237. It’s just around the elevators.

Dispatcher: They don’t personally know him or they would know if they saw him?

Wall: No, they would know if they saw him.

Dispatcher: Can they give us the name?

Wall: They’re not willing to share that. Could, are you guys on their way? They’re really anxious to, um …

Dispatcher: Yeah, we’re trying to tell them that someone needs to get there to your room.

Wall: OK, OK. They’re on their way.

Unidentified woman in background: No, I don’t want. [Unintelligible.]

Wall answers a phone call from her hall director and explains the situation: They, I think previously dated and I don’t think she wanted that to interfere .

Wall: [to dispatch] Hello?

Dispatcher: Wall?

Wall: Yeah.

Dispatcher: They’re going to come, I think, to your door there and knock on the door and get the girls so that they can talk to them.

Wall: OK, OK.

Dispatcher: They wanted them to come out of the room but we told them that they needed to come to the room.

Wall: OK, that’s sounds good. So, are they on this floor, do you know?

Dispatcher: They should be there in just a minute.

Wall: OK, they’re going to be here in just a minute. [To the women in the background.] I know, I know, that’s what they’re telling me.

Dispatcher: That the police at the door?

Wall: Yes.

Dispatcher: OK, we’re going to let you go OK? Wall?

Wall: Yes?

Dispatcher: You did a great job, OK?

Wall: Thank you.