Daniel Prince
Oct 6, 2022
Hoax calls received in 14 counties in SC but not Union
The Union County Sheriff’s Office was made aware by SLED of a troubling trend that unfolded yesterday, where multiple schools across the state were the subject of hoax calls claiming that there was an active shooter. Law enforcement personnel responded to each scene, in each case finding nothing had happened. Schools in at least 14 counties were targeted. No schools in Union County were involved. False reports were received in Oconee, Anderson, Greenville, Spartanburg, Laurens, Greenwood, Newberry, Chester, Richland, Lancaster, Chesterfield, Horry, Charleston, and Beaufort counties.
The hoax calls are what is known as SWATting, a false report to emergency services in an attempt to bring about a large law enforcement response. Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott was quoted as saying the hoaxes may be linked to a TikTok challenge. The claims brought a reaction from Governor Henry McMaster, calling it “ridiculous” and a crime. He said that SLED chief Mark Keel said the calls had been roughly the same, alleging that a child had been shot or someone had been killed at a school. McMaster said that they think the voice or transmission may be coming from another country, and that South Carolina is not alone in receiving the threats, but that schools in other states received them, as well.
According to the Washington Post, since September 13, schools in Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Washington have all reported swatting incidents. The FBI is involved in the investigation, as well. A regional spokesperson of the FBI released a statement that said in part, “The FBI takes swatting very seriously because it puts innocent people at risk. While we have no information to indicate a specific and credible threat, we will continue to work with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to gather, share, and act upon threat information as it comes to our attention.” State Attorney General Alan Wilson said he was “disgusted” by the reports. He went on to say that false claims are not a joke and that prosecutors across the state will not treat them as jokes.