Audio from the 911 call after Barack Obama’s personal chef reportedly fell off his paddle board and drowned has emerged.

Earlier this summer, the Obamas announced that Tafari Campbell had died from drowning at their Martha’s Vineyard property.

It had been reported that the Obamas weren’t home.

The newly released audio shows that the Secret Service called 911 to report the drowning chef.

But social media users quickly noticed something odd about the call.

First, take a listen for yourself and see what you think:

Social media users quickly pointed out many oddities about this call.

First of all, did you hear how calm everyone was?

Did you notice how nonchalant the 911 agent was about the whole thing?

And take a listen to their language.

It’s almost as if a drowning is being reported – RATHER than a call being placed to ask for help.

Social media users agree that the call is weird.

The Daily Mail has more insights on the situation:

A Secret Service agent at Barack Obama’s Martha’s Vineyard estate called 911 for help rescuing chef Tafari Campbell after he’d fallen off a paddle board, dramatic audio of the calls obtained by DailyMail.com reveal.

‘We have a male drowning in the back of the property right now,’ the agent named Dave tells a dispatcher at the 911 call center the night of July 23. ‘We have our rescue swimmers. They’re attempting to go out there right now.’

The agent reported that that there were already swimmers in the water trying to find the ‘house guest’ who’d fallen.

Audio from two initial calls, shared Tuesday by the Dukes County Sheriff’s Office, were heavily redacted, bleeping out names and other specifics about those involved and the property.

[…]

Campbell’s body was found the next morning in shallow water by a rescue boat with sonar. Investigators declared it an accidental drowning early on, but have continued to cover up even basic information after declaring the case closed.

[…]

Campbell’s death was officially ruled an accidental drowning, but authorities are yet to address how an apparently capable swimmer, paddle boarding near the ex-president’s summer home, could have drowned in shallow water.

Of course, oddities about the situation aren’t proof of foul play.

However, social media users are noting that there are many irregularities from what you would expect in a situation like this.

Campbell was a very skilled swimmer.

He would swim laps in the pool.

In fact, he would often record his workouts on his phone, presumably to analyze his form, and he sometimes even shared the videos on social media.

Some people are wondering how a skilled swimmer could tragically drown like that.

The New York Post has more details on what happened:

Newly released 911 calls capture a Secret Service agent frantically telling a dispatcher that the Obama family’s chef drowned and remained missing after falling off his paddleboard near the former president’s Martha’s Vineyard compound.

“We have a male drowning in the back of the property now,” an agent identified as Dave said in the first of two emergency calls after Tafari Campbell, 45, toppled off his board and into the Edgartown Great Pond in July, vanishing beneath the surface for an entire day.

“We have our rescue swimmers, they’re attempting to go out there right now,” Dave told a dispatcher, according to heavily redacted audio obtained by the Daily Mail.

Dave called 911 at 7:46 p.m. and relayed that at least one swimmer and another agent were climbing into a boat to reach Campbell.

The rescuers hadn’t witnessed the drowning but were alerted by another unnamed individual who rushed to their command with the tragic news.

[…]

“Someone came running up to our back post, saying a gentleman, it’s just a guest of the house, is out there drowning,” Dave said.

The agent stumbles for several seconds when the dispatcher asks whether the federal team requires an ambulance or water rescue assistance, stating he wasn’t sure what was going on “in the back of the property.”

“They didn’t advise right now. I would say at least an ambulance,” Dave said.

The agent then asks whether he could call 911 back on another line for follow-up communications, noting that “they’re not passing information over the radio right now.”

Whatever happened, we hope that the truth comes out.

The family of Mr. Campbell deserves it.

Given the presence of cell phones, security camera, and other monitoring devices, surely the answer is out there.

But for now, the 911 call reminds us how chilling and somber these events can be.

 

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