On December 29, 2023 at approximately 6:17PM, the Culpeper County E-911 Center received a non-emergency phone call from an anonymous male subject. The man on the phone alleged that he had just fatally shot three family members at a residence in the 1800-block of Picadilly Circus. After a brief and vague conversation with the dispatcher, the caller hung up and did not answer call backs.

The Culpeper Police Department and the Culpeper County Sheriff’s Office immediately responded to the area. As they responded, Culpeper PD officers began coordinating emergency medical services in preparation for any potential survivors. Once at the residence, officers established a cautionary security perimeter and began to evacuate neighbors.

Contact was established with a family inside the residence and they were safely removed from the home. The residence was cleared by the Culpeper PD Drone Team and then by members of the Culpeper County Sheriff’s Office S.W.A.T. Nothing found on scene matched the initial information provided by the anonymous caller.

Culpeper Police Department detectives responded to the scene to conduct interviews and collect evidence. Based on current evidence, it appears that this was an incident of “swatting” and that the original call was made from outside of the Town of Culpeper. No information currently indicates that the family at the residence had any involvement, and no one was injured during this incident. Later that night, similar “swatting” incidents were reported in other Virginia jurisdictions.

“Swatting” is the criminal act of making fraudulent reports of serious criminal threats or violent situations like bomb threats, hostages, or mass shootings with the specific intention of tricking law enforcement into raiding the home or business of somebody who is not actually committing a crime. It is becoming increasingly common for “swatters” to use the same fraudulent report to target multiple locations, either regionally or nationally, at the same time.

“I applaud all of the emergency services involved for their rapid response to a potentially critical incident,” said Culpeper Police Chief Chris Settle. “Swatting attempts are dangerous for everyone involved, including the people whose home was targeted. Unfortunately, this is not our first experience with swatting attempts. However, that experience has prepared our officers to respond in a manner that prioritizes everyone’s safety while confirming that this was a false report. I want to thank our partner agencies who responded that night to assist.”

This is an active and on-going investigation. Anyone with additional information is asked to contact MPO Det. J. Barone at 540-829-5530 or email tips@culpeperva.gov. Callers who wish to remain anonymous can submit tips by calling Culpeper Crime Solvers at 540-727-0300 or submitting a tip at culpeperpd.org.

Nothing is attached.

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Contact: Master Police Officer Julia Cole

Email: JCole@culpeperva.gov

Phone: 540-829-5525

January 2, 2024

JC-2024-01