Police are investigating a “swatting” claim after responding to a report of a shooting, in which the caller stated he shot his brother and believed him to be dead, but there was no shooting or threat.
Early Tuesday morning, Paris police officers responded to the 400 block of SW 18th Street to a report of a shooting, where the caller stated that he had “shot his brother and believed the brother to be dead.”
Officers set up outside the residence and ordered the residents to come out.
One male subject came outside and advised that there was no shooting.
The male stated that this is the 3rd time that Officers have responded to his house for something similar and believes that someone has hacked his brother’s Xbox and has been “swatting” them.
“Swatting” is a criminal harassment tactic of deceiving an emergency service in sending police or an emergency service response team to another person’s address.
Online gaming has been a target of “swatting” for more than a decade with users being hacked all over the country. Police/SWAT have responded to calls of “shootings” or “hostage situations” that were confirmed to be hoaxes in which the victims Xbox has been hacked.
Paris police are investigating an offense of False Alarm or Report Emergency thoroughly.
