'Active Shooter' Incident Actually Swatting Stunt: Warwick Police

WARWICK, RI — A caller claiming there was an active shooter inside a Cliff Road home Saturday afternoon turned out to be making a false report in an attempt to elicit a police response to the residence.

The call of a gunman shooting one person and taking another hostage came in shortly after 2:45 p.m., the Warwick Police Department said in a media release.

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"Multiple officers were immediately dispatched to the scene," the release said. "After a thorough and coordinated response involving patrol officers and detectives, it was determined that the call originated from a voice over internet number and was a false report, commonly referred to as a 'swatting' incident."

Swatting, according to 911.gov, is falsely "reporting an emergency to public safety by a person for the intent of getting a ('SWAT team') response to a location where no emergency exists."

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"The calling party will often report they are involved or nearby as a witness to a home invasion, active shooter, or hostage situation, attempting to muster the largest response possible," the site said. "Often, the law enforcement response is substantial, with police confronting the unsuspecting victims at gunpoint, only to learn that there is no real emergency."

In the Cliff Road incident, the "residence was cleared, and officers confirmed that no one was inside and that there was no threat to public safety," according to the release, which said the matter remains under investigation.

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