Police seek suspect after responding to false shooting call in St. Catharines
Published February 2, 2023 at 3:34 pm
Niagara Police are hunting for a suspect after receiving a false call about a multiple shooting in St. Catharines yesterday (Feb. 1).
Just past 1:30 pm, police received a call that a person had been shot multiple times at a Linwell Rd. house between Ontario St. and Lakeport Rd. The caller indicated that the alleged shooter was still on the scene.
The police, their Emergency Task Unit, K9 Unit, Crisis Negotiators and Niagara EMS paramedics all rushed to the home, given the reported injuries.
When they arrived, the police talked to a man in the house and discovered there had been no shooting incident.
The police are now calling it a “swatting” incident and are continuing to investigate it with their Cybercrime Unit.
Police describe swatting as “a deliberate and malicious criminal act that adds unnecessary risk to both our community members and first responders.”
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To the uninitiated, the purpose of swatting is to direct emergency response teams, such as the police and EMS, onto an unsuspecting resident by dialing 911 and reporting an extreme act of violence at their address.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the lead detective by dialing 905-688-4111, option 3, 1009495.
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