The Jan. 4 fatal shooting of a Maine man on Interstate 81 in Franklin County was prompting three U.S. senators to seek more information on a plan to improve the nation's 911 system.
U.S. Sen. Robert P. Casey Jr., D-Pa., along with Susan M. Collins and Angus S. King Jr., the senior and junior U.S. senators from Maine, respectively, wrote in a letter last week to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration that, had the Next Generation 911 model been in place at the time, 28-year-old Timothy Davison could have survived the shooting or at least provided police with more information in the case, which remained unsolved as of Friday.
The letter requested an update from the NTIA on efforts to implement Next Generation 911, an ongoing project supported by the telecommunications administration that would, among other things, streamline data transfers between 911 and emergency communications facilities in different states.
Davison was driving back to his home in Poland, Maine, when, at about 2 a.m., he called 911 and was connected to a Maryland 911 dispatcher, according to police reports.
Davison told the dispatcher he was being pursued and shot at by occupants of another vehicle, but his call was dropped as he crossed into Pennsylvania, police said.
State police later found Davison dead in his vehicle along the southbound lanes of the interstate near Exit 3 for Route 11 in Antrim Township. Davison had been forced off the roadway and shot several times, police said.
"It is deeply concerning that Mr. Davison's initial call to 911, received by a Maryland dispatcher, was reportedly dropped as he crossed state lines," the letter reads in part. "A subsequent call placed by Mr. Davison was rerouted to a Pennsylvania dispatcher. This critical lapse in communication may have denied Mr. Davison life-saving instruction."
Along with improving the transfer of calls between states and different jurisdictions, the next generation plan also envisions enabling the transfer of texts, images and other types of data to 911 centers.
The most recent piece of legislation passed with the goal of modernizing 911 systems was the NET 911 Improvement Act of 2008, according to the letter.
According to the letter, the act tasked the E-911 Implementation Coordination Office — which is jointly run by the NTIA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — to come up with a plan to implement an IP-enabled nationwide emergency network, outlining potential costs and other factors.
The request levied by the senators to the NTIA's assistant secretary for communications and information asked for an update on the ICO's efforts plan and evaluate the national emergency network.
State police were still seeking any witnesses or others with information that could help them move forward in Davison's case. A $10,000 cash reward was offered by Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers for information leading to an arrest in the case, but no suspects were identified as of Friday.
State police were able to identify the exact make, color and model of the shooter's vehicle; a 1993 to 1997 model Lapis-blue Ford Ranger pickup truck that likely sustained front-end damage to the driver's side.
Anyone with any information regarding the shooting or the person or people involved was asked to call Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers at 1-800-472-8477.