COLUMBUS, Ind. – Investigators with the Columbus Police Department (CPD) are looking into an attempted swatting incident from Wednesday, November 19.
At approximately 7 p.m., CPD was informed of an email reporting a shooting incident at a residence in Columbus. Knowing that similar reports have targeted other Indiana senators, our officers recognized the address as the home of State Senator Greg Walker. A CPD officer was able to make contact with Senator Walker and ensure his safety.
Swatting is an incident in which someone with malicious intent notifies law enforcement via phone call, email, or other form of communication of a false emergency at a targeted location to generate as large a scale law enforcement response as possible. Columbus Police state that “swatting” and making a false report is a crime that can put people in danger, and they take it very seriously.
A CPD detective is working to investigate and pass on the investigation to the Indiana State Police as they investigate other similar incidents.