The Fayette County Sheriff's Office received a call Saturday, Oct. 24, from someone who claimed to be a Fayetteville teenager. The caller said he had shot and killed his father and was holding his sister hostage. Deputies went to the home and asked the Austin County Special Response Team for help. Lt. David Beyer of the Sheriff's Office said deputies entered the house and found the teen, who did not know what was happening.
The teen was home alone. He told deputies he was very active online and had angered someone from California. Deputies believe the caller "spoofed" the teen's phone number, which made the call appear to come from the home. Beyer said investigators are working with technology experts to find the real number so charges can be filed.
Beyer said the Sheriff's Office received a similar hoax call that night for the same address. Deputies sent an officer as a precaution, and everything was OK.
Swatting is a type of criminal harassment in which someone makes a fake emergency call to police, such as a report of a bomb threat or mass shooting, to bring an armed response to a victim's address.