CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : SAN FRANCISCO : 911 Operator Fired After Man Is Killed

A 911 operator has been fired for giving a low priority to a frantic call from a man who later was found beaten to death. Scott Quackenbush, 20, was killed Sept. 28 shortly after calling 911 operator Diane Fisher from a telephone booth at a closed gas station. The body of Quackenbush, a student at Fresno State, was found three days later behind the service station. Siosiua Livai and Totoa Pohahau, both 20, face a murder trial July 1. Police Chief Willis Casey said he agreed with an arbitrator’s finding that Fisher violated department procedures in the way she handled Quackenbush’s call. Fisher previously had received two letters of reprimand, said Police Department spokesman Jerry Aikens. She also had been suspended five times and been ordered to undergo counseling.