Jeff Alm spent one of the last minutes of his life trying to tell a 911 operator the location of the car crash that killed his best friend, according to a published report.
The lineman for the Houston Oilers called from his cellular phone shortly after the Dec. 14 single-vehicle crash that sent Sean P. Lynch flying out of his car and down a 45-foot embankment to his death, The Houston Post reported in a copyright story in today's editions.Police say Alm was distraught over Lynch's death and shot himself with a shotgun moments later. An officer who heard a tape recording of Alm's call to 911 described him as "panicky and emotional" during the minute-long conversation.
Throughout the call, the operator repeatedly asked Alm where the crash occurred. He tried, but could not quickly pinpoint the exact location. Part of the confusion may have been that the West Loop and the Southwest Freeway intersect in two places, police said.
Alm was speaking frantically, often turning his head away from the mouthpiece, yelling to Lynch and asking if he was all right.
Police said the first official at the accident scene found the phone atop Alm's wrecked car with 911 dialed into it. It was unclear until Tuesday whether it was Alm who had made the call.
Homicide investigators have reviewed the tape as part of their investigation into the deaths. They declined Tuesday to release a transcript because the investigation is ongoing.
Last week, however, police reiterated their conclusion that Alm's death was a suicide and indicated that their inquiry was all but finished.
Toxicology results on Lynch released Tuesday showed that his blood alcohol content was .30. In Texas, an individual is legally intoxicated with a blood alcohol content of .10. Lynch's tests revealed no evidence of illegal drugs.
The Harris County Medical Examiner's Office said Alm's toxicology results wouldn't be available until next month.