Republican Senator’s House in Florida Targeted in Swatting Incident
Officials have confirmed that Sen. Rick Scott’s (R-Fla.) home in Naples, Florida, was targeted in a swatting incident on Wednesday night. “Swatting” is a form of harassment where bogus police calls are made with the intention of creating a dangerous situation. In a statement posted on social media, Scott thanked the Naples Police Department and the Collier County Sheriff’s Office for their quick response to the incident.
The Naples Police Department received a report about a shooting event at the 3100 block of Gordon Drive in Naples on Wednesday evening. However, after verifying the situation, they concluded that it was a swatting event. Swatting involves making false reports of an immediate emergency to prompt an armed law enforcement response.
This form of harassment poses serious risks as it can lead to innocent people being injured or killed by law enforcement officers responding to the false emergency alerts. A December 2017 swatting incident in Wichita, Kansas, resulted in the fatal shooting of an innocent homeowner by police. The perpetrator of that incident, Tyler Barriss, was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
The false report targeting Sen. Scott’s home involved a caller claiming to have shot his wife and threatened to detonate a bomb unless he was paid $10,000. However, upon investigation, no evidence of any such incident was found.
Sen. Scott’s incident is part of a recent spree of swatting attempts targeting politicians. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Rep. Brandon Williams, both members of the Republican Party, reported being targeted with similar swatting attempts. Democratic Boston Mayor Michelle Wu also reported that her home had been targeted in a swatting call on Christmas Day.
The incidents targeting Sen. Scott and other politicians underscore the need for law enforcement to take these matters seriously and for measures to be put in place to prevent such dangerous false reports. With law enforcement currently investigating these incidents, it remains to be seen if there is any connection between them.
