ROBINSON TOWNSHIP, Mich. —Police in Ottowa Co. responded to the 13000 block of Sugarbush Lane Wednesday evening around 8:25 p.m. after receiving a call from an individual claiming to have just shot his family members.
According to the Ottowa County Sheriff’s Office, the caller identified himself as a family member and said he was still in the home. It was later determined there were no injuries and everyone in the home was OK. Deputies then arrived on scene to confirm the false call.
The caller described to police he was a 14 year old who had shot his parents in the head and still had his brother tied up inside the home, according to dispatch radio traffic.
Capt. Mark Bennett went on to say in a news release that a teenage relative at the home on Sugarbush Lane was playing a game online with other players and the suspect had threatened to “swat” the teenager’s home. Apparently, the false report came in shortly thereafter.
Police believe the call came from well outside the area and are still trying to determine where exactly it originated. The term ‘swatting’ refers to a situation in which an individual reports a false crime in order to draw out a large police or SWAT presence.
