First responders in Bolivar had to deal with four swatting calls in a span of three hours Sunday night.
What We Know: Bolivar received four swatting calls, or 911 calls that report a false emergency with the intention to create a massive response, in record time Sunday night that lead them to several business and community locations.
The first call that triggered the most response, reported an active shooter at the Bolivar Walmart. After searching the building, it was discovered that the reports were false.
The second call came in from the same address as a local Domino’s and the third sent responders to a Kinetic Energy office.
The fourth and final call sent officers to a private residence on South Street. The woman at the home told crews that she was at the Walmart when the first call came in and went home after being evacuated.
What It Means: Bolivar law enforcement is now investigating the calls. Bolivar Police Chief Christopher Johns has said that the FBI is now apart of the investigation, and they believe that the person behind the calls has no ties to the Bolivar area.
In a statement, Johns said, “I’m certainly upset that, you know, that again, somebody from the outside, with no connection to us, would just try to bring fear to our community members. This type of a situation, these types of crimes, they’re felonies in Missouri, ‘making a terroristic threat’. We take them very seriously because of what they have done to our community.”
(Image courtesy of the Bolivar Police Department)