Police and 911 calls show Andrew Ward's family was worried about his actions the day before the Phoenix man allegedly stabbed his 12-year-old brother to death.
Whoever called the police that day was scared…and young.
The caller is unidentified in the tape, but It is a girl's voice, asking the dispatcher to send an officer to her house. She was worried about her brother, Andrew Ward, 27.
"He, like, is really mentally unstable," the girl told the dispatcher. "We're afraid he bought something that could possibly harm us."
The caller said the family was worried Ward might have a gun and wouldn't let anyone in his room. She wanted an officer to come search Ward's room. But the dispatcher seems to argue with the girl over whether an officer is needed.
"I can put an officer to you," the dispatcher, identified only as Nicole, tells the caller, 'but I can't guarantee they're just going to go in and search his room because he's not doing anything. He hasn't committed a crime, he's not threatening you guys, he's not doing anything. He's just sitting in his room."
LISTEN: Austin Tapia's family calls police
"Ok," the girl replies, "I guess I'll have to wait till he does something."
The next day Andrew Ward called 911, telling the dispatcher he had stabbed his little brother in the neck, chest and head.
"Honestly I just felt like killing," he told a different dispatcher.
Pierce Murphy is the former president of the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement. He listened to the calls and said the dispatcher seemed to be screening the call instead of just gathering information for officers.
"I would say it's not a best practice to have dispatchers talking people out of wanting to have an officer come to their home," Murphy said.
LISTEN: Andrew Ward calls 911 to say he stabbed his brother
But 12 News security consultant Paul Penzone, a former Phoenix police officer, said the dispatcher was technically correct. Based on the description she was given, Ward had done nothing wrong.
"You're asking a dispatcher and an officer to see into the future," Penzone said. "Could it have been prevented? I don't know, I don't know if an officer had gone out there if it would have even prevented what occurred. This was a mentally ill issue and it's a shame that it happened."
Andrew Ward is charged with murder in the death of Austin Tapia.
Days after he was arrested sheriff's deputies say Ward stabbed his cellmate to death with a golf pencil.
Phoenix police refused multiple requests for interviews about the call, but sent a statement.
"Our operators 'screen' several million calls per year and follow our policies, directives, and their experience to dispatch officers when they believe it is necessary. If we all had the benefit of hindsight, of course we would have liked to seen a different outcome in this case."
