Police are investigating a fake shooting report that led police to respond to U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s home in Floyd County 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,” the Rome Republican posted on her @RepMTG Twitter page.
According to a Rome Police Department report, police officers responded to a 911 call on Wednesday at 01:03 a.m. that led them to initially believe a man who had been shot multiple times was 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 arrived, Greene assured them 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 that the caller claimed they are connected to a website that police said 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. “Late last night, she was a victim of a political attack on her family and home. Whoever committed this violent crime will face the full extent of the law.”
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, said Floyd County Police Department Assistant Chief Tom Ewing, 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.
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