ellen's 6-year-old daughter was fast asleep in the bedroom. she didn't wake up but ellen's son michael who's 17 was in his bedroom and he did. >> he was calling 911. i told him to hang up, mierkal. >> reporter: and he hung up. >> and he hung up. and i sat down on the steps and waited for the police to come. >> reporter: but the police never did show. >> i covered him up. i told michael to get ready for school. i told him, i shot mike. you just need to go to school. >> reporter: how was michael doing at this point? >> i thought he was doing okay. >> reporter: evidently, michael was not okay. he skipped school that day and he told his friend patrick about the horror he had gone through. did you talk to him about this, or from the first minute that this happened, did this sort of become like the thing you're not talking about? >> right. we never talked about it. >> reporter: once you said to him, i shot mike, go to