3 May 2023
ELK COUNTY, Kan. (KSNW) – The Elk County Sheriff’s Office is addressing an incident of swatting that drew a large police presence to a home on Tuesday.
Around 12:30 p.m., authorities in the county received a phone call from a man stating he shot his wife and was holding his child hostage. The caller stated that he would shoot the child and set the house on fire if he saw police. The Elk County Sheriff’s Office said the dispatcher heard what they believed to be three-gun shots before the call ended.
Deputies, along with other agencies, arrived and set up a perimeter around the home but later learned that the residents at the home were a victim of swatting.
Sheriff John Walker said swatting calls are becoming more frequent and are “just as dangerous as the real calls, not only to Law Enforcement but to the public as well.”
Walker said the incident tied up a lot of resources and put the public at risk. The investigation of the incident is still ongoing.