Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) said his home in Naples, Florida, was targeted on Wednesday night with a bogus police call in a form of potentially deadly harassment known as “swatting.”
“Last night, while at dinner with my wife, cowards ‘swatted’ my home in Naples. These criminals wasted the time & resources of our law enforcement in a sick attempt to terrorize my family. Ann & I want to thank @NaplesPolice & @CollierSheriff for all they do to keep us safe,” the Republican senator said in a post on the X social media platform (formerly Twitter) on Thursday.
The Naples Police Department announced it had indeed received a report about a shooting event at the 3100 block of Gordon Drive in Naples on Wednesday evening.
“On December 27, 2023, at approximately 9:02pm, Naples Police dispatchers received a call on our non-emergency line from an individual stating that a shooting occurred in the 3100 block of Gordon Drive,” the police department said in a Thursday press release. “Within 15 minutes, we were able to confirm that the events did not occur, and the incident was a swatting event. This is very much an active and ongoing investigation.”
Swatting consists of making a false report of an ongoing emergency or active threat of violence with the intent to prompt an immediate law enforcement response. The behavior is called swatting because it can trigger a heavily armed response from police Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams.
Swatting runs the risk of getting innocent people injured or killed by heavily armed law enforcement officers who respond to these emergency alerts expecting an active shooter or other deadly threat. This was the case during a December 2017 incident in which an online argument over a video game resulted in a bogus call that saw police in Wichita, Kansas, called to a home where an officer fatally shot a homeowner who had no involvement in the online dispute. Tyler Barriss admitted in federal court to making the bogus police call and was sentenced in 2019 to 20 years in prison.
According to a record of the Wednesday night call shared with NTD News, a male caller identifying himself as Jamal told Naples Police dispatchers that he had shot his wife three times with an AR-15-style rifle while she was sleeping because he found she had been sleeping with another man. The caller also said he had a pipe bomb and would blow up the residence if someone did not bring him $10,000.
Upon arriving at the scene of the call, police met with a guard from a private security firm who was assigned to protect the residence. The private security guard said he was unaware of any issues transpiring at the residence. Police searched the perimeter of the residence and found no indications of forced entry and, after contacting the homeowner, searched the interior of the home.
The record of the Wednesday night call notes “Jamal’s” voice during the police call sounded as if it was computer-generated or otherwise artificial in nature.
Other Politicians Targeted in Recent Swatting Spree
The incident targeting Mr. Scott’s home came just days after other Republican lawmakers reported being targeted with similar swatting attempts.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said she was the victim of a false police call on Christmas day and another before that on Dec. 21. Ms. Greene has been targeted with swatting in the past and said the Christmas incident marked the eighth time she’s experienced such harassment.
Ms. Greene said these latest swatting incidents also coincided with a threat she received from an individual identifying himself as Ben McLean, who said a “high velocity projectile” would soon find its way into Ms. Greene’s cranium. It’s unclear if investigators view the recent swatting incidents and the threatening messages from Mr. McClean as being related.
Rep. Brandon Williams (R-N.Y.) also reported being targeted with a swatting call on Christmas day and said local law enforcement and U.S. Capitol Police were actively investigating the incident.
Democratic Boston Mayor Michelle Wu reported her home was also targeted with a swatting call on Christmas Day. A Boston Police Department spokesman told Boston 25 that the department had indeed responded to a call at an address matching Ms. Wu’s home on Monday evening.
Like the call targeting Mr. Scott, the caller who’d targeted Ms. Wu’s residence had also claimed he found his wife sleeping with another man and shot her. Upon arriving at Ms. Wu’s home, responding officers quickly determined the incident to be a hoax.
It is unclear if the false police reports targeting Mr. Scott, Mr. Williams, Ms. Greene, and Ms. Wu are connected.