Crime & Safety
Salem Fatal Shooting Call Draws Large Police Response, Proves False
Salem police said Saturday's response in the area of Tremont Street and School Street was because of a "swatting" call.
SALEM, MA — A report of a fatal domestic shooting in Salem, drawing a large-scale police response in the early morning hours of Saturday, proved to be a false call in the latest case of what Salem police called "swatting."
Police said the call came at just before 5 a.m. with the caller saying that he had shot and killed his wife in the area of Tremont Street and School Street, as well as that he intended to shoot responding officers.
"Due to the nature of the call, all available units responded," Salem police said.
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Police attempted to call back the residence and made "numerous PA announcements" without a response before a man was seen through the window of the home at about 5:50 a.m. Ten minutes later, Salem dispatch received a call from someone asking about the police presence outside of his home.
"It should be noted that the dispatcher perceived that the voice of this party sounded different than the original caller," police said. "This caller came out and the residence was cleared."
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Salem police determined that this was a "swatting" incident.
"Swatting" is the act of making a false report of an emergency to public safety agencies with the intention of triggering a large-scale response, often involving a SWAT team. It is also dangerous to the public and it is a crime.
The Salem Police Criminal Investigation Division has initiated an investigation to determine who is responsible.
"The Salem Police Department would like to thank nearby residents for their cooperation and we regret the alarm and inconvenience to our community," police said.
(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)
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