Ga. election official latest victim of ‘swatting,’ says someone reported shooting at his home

Mary Royse Ginther
·2 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Georgia Secretary of State Office’s Chief Operating Officer Gabriel Sterling says he has “joined the ranks” after becoming the latest victim of “swatting” calls targeting political figures across metro Atlanta.

Sterling said 911 received a call regarding a “drug deal gone wrong” that resulted in a shooting at his Sandy Springs home. Sterling confirmed that this was false information.

“Swatting” occurs when someone calls authorities to someone else’s house based on a fake emergency.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

“My family has now joined the ranks of those who have had their home ‘swatted.’ We should all refuse to allow bomb threats and swatting to be the new normal,” Sterling said in a statement on social media.

Sterling is one of at least seven Georgia lawmakers to have “swatting” calls made against their homes within a month.

Georgia Lt. Governor Burt Jones, U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R), and state Senators John Albers (R-Roswell), Clint Dixon (R-Buford), Kim Jackson (D-Stone Mountain), and Kay Kirkpatrick (R-Marietta) were also targeted by these calls.

RELATED STORIES:

Congresswoman Greene said on social media that this was the eighth time her home in Rome has been swatted.

Channel 2′s Michael Doudna spoke with state Senator Albers, who said he was away visiting family, but his son was home when the police arrived.

“This is a serious crime, and these people who are doing this need to be arrested. They need to understand the consequences of their actions,” State Senator Albers said.

No arrests have been made.

Channel 2 Action News contacted Sandy Springs Police Department officials for more information but has not received a response.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

IN OTHER NEWS: