Police are investigating a faked shooting report which led police to respond to 14th District Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s home in Rome early Wednesday.
“Swatting” is an attempt by an unknown caller to submit a false report of a crime, especially a crime in progress, so emergency services are sent to an unsuspecting home.
“Last night, I was swatted just after 1 a.m. I can’t express enough gratitude to my local law enforcement here in Rome, Floyd County,” she stated concerning the prank on her @RepMTG Twitter page.
According to a Rome Police Department report, Rome police officers responded to a 911 call on Wednesday at 01:03 a.m. which led them to initially believe a man who had been shot multiple times in the bathtub at Greene’s home. The caller also stated there was a woman inside the home and possibly children with her. When officers responded Greene assured the officers there was no issue at the home.
“After we cleared the call and went back in service, Rome-Floyd 911 received a call from the suspect, claiming responsibility for the incident and explaining his/her motives,” the report stated. “It was a computer generated voice. They explained they were upset about Ms. Greene’s stance on ‘trans-gender youth’s rights,’ and stated they were trying to ‘swat’ her.”
The report also stated caller said they are connected to a website, which police stated supports cyberstalking, and gave the police their user name on the site.
“Right now, Congresswoman Greene’s safety is our number one concern,” Greene’s spokesperson Nick Dyer said Wednesday.
The incident is currently under investigation by the Rome Police Department’s criminal investigation division in conjunction with the Capitol Police.
There have been a couple of other “swatting” calls of this sort recently, Floyd County Police Department Assistant Chief Tom Ewing said, but this was the first at Greene’s residence. The other calls came from overseas numbers, Ewing said, and those numbers have been masked or rerouted through other numbers, a process called spoofing.
Credit: Rome News-Tribune
Credit: Rome News-Tribune
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