SUMMARY: Swatting/ Hoax call reporting domestic assault with a firearm and subject at residence has been shot
DATE/TIME: June 21, 2023 at approximately 11:54 AM
CASE #: 23WM001395
On June 21, 2023 at approximately 11:54 AM the Wilmington Police Department received a call from an individual who identified themselves as a 14 year old male who told the WPD dispatcher that he had shot his mother in the chest with an AR-15 type rifle and that she was not breathing. When Wilmington Police Department officers arrived; they were unable to make contact with anyone inside the residence. As a precaution roadways in the area were closed to traffic and Deerfield Valley Rescue staged Emergency Medical units nearby. During the response officers surrounded the house to prevent the potential escape of the suspect which would have created a public safety risk. Officers gained entry to the residence and conducted a search which did not locate anyone inside or any evidence of a shooting. During the following investigation it was found that the call was a hoax and the phone number used to make the hoax report had been involved in other similar incidents. Wilmington Police Department was assisted by Dover Police Department, Wilmington Fire Department, and Deerfield Valley Rescue during this incident. Wilmington Police Department is asking if anyone has any information related to the identity of the caller or information related to this incident; to please call the Wilmington Police Department at (802)-464-8593.
