Columbus police called to fake reports in “swatting” attempt

Columbus police say officers were called out to a false report of a shooting Wednesday night and a bomb threat on Thursday morning, in what they are calling a “swatting” attempt.

According to the Columbus Police Department, dispatchers received a call at 11:26 p.m. on Wednesday night, from someone pretending to be at a home in the 1700 block of South Drive, saying that he had just shot it family and was going to kill himself. Police arrived, cordoned off the area and then tried to make contact with people in the home. They determined that the caller, not anyone at the home, had made the fake call.

Early Thursday morning, dispatchers received a report of a bomb at Columbus Regional Hospital, and that call also mentioned the home on South Drive. Police responded and determined that report was also false and believe the two may be related.

Police say that the calls may have been made in retaliation against a juvenile at the home who was communicating with someone online. Investigators believe the calls came from outside of Indiana and the incidents are still under investigation.

“Swatting” refers to prank calls to authorities under the false pretense that a violent crime is happening in order to provoke a potentially dangerous situation between unknowing residents and armed officers, usually a SWAT team.