Kansas police: Report of shooting was latest "SWATting" hoax

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Police in Kansas said they responded Monday morning to a report of a shooting at a home, only to discover the call was the latest instance of a hoax known as "SWATting," reports CBS affiliate KCTV. Overland Park officials said around 8:30 a.m. they received a call from a man who said he shot his wife and would open fire on police when they approached the house.

Police said they arrived on scene and tried to make contact with the man, while also urging neighbors to stay inside. They said the man inside the home, who was there with his two teenage sons, appeared confused and did not know why police where there. Police soon learned that his wife was unharmed, and at work, where she spoke to officers by phone.

They soon learned there had not been a shooting at the home, and that the emergency call had not come from that location. 

Police said a father and his two teenage sons were home at the time. No one was injured in the incident, police said.

Officer John Lacy told the station that the call bore similarities to a deadly incident on Dec. 28, when authorities said California resident Tyler Barriss made a hoax emergency call, drawing a swarm of police to Wichita, Kansas, about 190 miles from Overland Park. When police responded to the address, an officer fatally shot 28-year-old Andrew Finch after he opened his door.

Police have not indicated there's any connection between the Overland Park incident and the Wichita incident.

"With these swatting calls, we're always going to be careful when it comes to people calling 911 saying that they shot a loved one or things of that sort. We're going to try to start a dialogue, but, at the same time, we want to get inside," Lacy said. "We want to be able to help someone. But when you have these types of calls, it makes law enforcement, our job even more difficult."

Barriss was extradited from California and on Friday was charged in Kansas with involuntary manslaughter.