Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Sheriffs Office works to identify caller
PALOUSE — A false report of a deadly shooting near Palouse School sent the campus into lockdown Friday, Sept. 27, sparking a swift and law enforcement response that turned out to be part of an alarming trend known as “swatting.”
According to reports from the Whitman County Sheriff’s Office, the incident was later identified as a false alarm.
At approximately 8:30 a.m., an anonymous caller contacted local law enforcement, claiming they had been in an argument with their mother and had “shot and killed her.”
The caller provided an address near Palouse School, indicating they were armed and suicidal.
The Whitman County Sheriff’s Office reports that deputies immediately notified the school, which went into lockdown.
Law enforcement, including deputies, troopers, and medical responders from Pullman Fire, responded to the scene and established contact with the resident of the house in question.
According to reports, it was quickly determined that no shooting or other incident occurred at the residence.
Investigators found evidence that the call was part of a “swatting” incident—a false report meant to provoke a large emergency response.
“At any point in these small towns, you are probably 2 or 3 blocks away from the school. We realized there had been a similar call in Moscow a couple of days earlier. We went there and made contact with the owner, and they indicated they were alive and well and had no indication who the other person was,” said Whitman County Sheriff Brett Myers.
The Whitman County Sheriff’s Office reports they are working to track or identify the caller.
Preliminary findings suggest that the individual responsible for the false report may be from outside the area, potentially even another country.
“Some information leads to a non-certain or non-local number. The last time we got a call, the call originated from the Midwest, but it hit several schools across Idaho and Eastern Washington State,” added Myers. “This was linked back to a random phone number and a random residence.”
According to reports, while false reporting is a criminal offense, it can be difficult to prosecute cases without the ability to trace the call’s origin.
Sheriff Brett Myers noted that incidents like this can unnecessarily tie up law enforcement resources.
“We had every law enforcement officer responding to that call. You dial up all your resources until you can determine it’s not legitimate,” Myers said.
The Whitman County Sheriff’s Office reports that are continuing to investigate the incident.
“It’s not uncommon,” said Myers. “We see this once or twice a year, and we get bogus calls to schools about bombs. In this case, it was different and it was an incident that wasnt related to the school or a student.”
According to Myers, within a few hours of the call, Palouse School was running and out of lockdown.
Olivia Harnack is a Journalist at the Whitman County Gazette. Olivia is enrolled at University of Idaho and is majoring in digital film studies. She serves in the United States Army National Guard and is proud to serve Whitman County.
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