Schools in Pennsylvania were the latest targeted by so-called swatting. Computer-generated calls on Wednesday made claims about active shooters, but it was all a hoax.
School officials are already on edge amid a backdrop of deadly school shootings, the latest Monday at a Christian school in Nashville.Here is a look at the issues involved:Hundreds of cases of swatting occur annually, with some using caller ID spoofing to disguise their number. The goal is to get authorities, particularly a SWAT team, to respond to an address.
The FBI didn’t immediately respond to emails Wednesday from The Associated Press seeking comment, but the threats have continued to accumulate in recent months.Few regions of the country have been spared from such calls and the disruptions they cause. “We treated it as a real incident,” Stangrecki said. Another threat at a nearby Catholic school had worried parents gathered outside.
And in Minnesota, the state's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension issued a warning last month after fake calls forced eight schools into lockdown over two days.Authorities are grappling with the false alarms in a country where mass shooters have killed hundreds of people throughout history. Shooters have attacked in places like stores, theaters and workplaces, but it is in schools and colleges where the carnage reverberates perhaps most keenly.
The hoax call that led to his death began as a feud between two online gamers. One of the gamers recruited Tyler Barriss to “swat” the other gamer. But the address used was old, leading police to Finch, who was not involved in the dispute or playing the video game.
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