YORK COUNTY, S.C. — The York County Sheriff's Office is taking to social media to dispel some rumors swirling around the internet.
According to the sheriff's office, at around 10:30 a.m., Wednesday morning its dispatch center received a call stating a man had shot his wife and his three kids.
WCNC Charlotte verified whether or not this incident actually took place.
OUR SOURCES
THE ANSWER
No, there was not a shooting incident in York County where a man shot and killed his wife and three kids. Officials said they believe this was part of a swatting incident.
WHAT WE FOUND
The York County Sheriff's Office said the reports circling around on the internet that said a man shot and killed his wife and three kids is false.
Deputies said they received a call from a man who said he had killed his family and also stated he had "partners" that were staged in the woods and on top of a roof out in York County.
"Of course, we take every serious incident like this seriously," The York County Sheriff's Office said on Facebook. "And so we came out here with everything we had."
Officials said it took them a couple of hours to investigate the incident and talk to neighbors.
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The sheriff's office said that they are still investigating the incident, but it appears to be a swatting call.
According to the FBI, swatting usually involves calling 911 and faking an emergency that draws a response from law enforcement, usually a SWAT team.
The York County Sheriff's Office said the last incident of a swatting call happened back in 2019.
"Back in September 2019 we did have a similar call," the sheriff's office said. "A man who said he had killed his girlfriend and threatened to burn down his house."
That call turned out to be fake.
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