Fairfax County police determined a late-night report of possible gunfire near Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s home was a swatting incident after speaking with her security detail.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Police in Fairfax County, Virginia, responded late Wednesday to a report of suspicious noises believed to be gunshots near the home of Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett before determining the call was a swatting incident.
The call came through the Fairfax County Police Department’s non-emergency line, according to the submitted material. Officers responded to the area and later determined the report was false after speaking with Barrett’s security detail. Audio of the response was shared in an X post.
The incident adds to concerns over threats and false emergency calls involving public officials, judges and other high-profile figures. Swatting involves making a false report to law enforcement in an effort to trigger an armed emergency response at a targeted person’s home or location.
The report involving Barrett came nearly four years after an attempted attack near the Maryland home of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
In June 2022, authorities arrested Nicholas John Roske of Simi Valley, California, near Kavanaugh’s home. Roske reportedly told police he had traveled there to kill the justice. The submitted material said he was motivated by issues involving abortion and guns.
“The attempted assassination of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh was a disgusting attack against our entire judicial system by a profoundly disturbed individual,” then-Attorney General Pamela Bondi said.
“The Department of Justice will be appealing the woefully insufficient sentence imposed by the district court, which does not reflect the horrific facts of this case,” Bondi said.
FBI Director Kash Patel also addressed the Kavanaugh case, saying Roske would face consequences for the plot.
“Nicholas Roske will now pay the price for attempting to assassinate a Supreme Court Justice in a violent plot to alter the court’s composition and its rulings,” Patel said.
“Violence against federal judges or other public officials is unacceptable and will be met by the full force of the law. The FBI will work aggressively with our law enforcement partners to detect and stop these schemes and protect our nation,” he said.
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, described the Barrett incident as a serious threat even though the report was false.
“Swatting is an attempt to get an innocent person killed—in this case, a sitting Supreme Court Justice,” Lee said.
“The proper response will be putting the offender in prison for many, many years,” he added.
Lee’s comments were shared in a separate X post.
No injuries were reported in the Barrett incident in the submitted material. Authorities determined the report was false after responding and coordinating with the justice’s security team.
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