Police Rush to Supreme Court Justice’s Home After Gunshots Reported in Apparent Swatting Attempt: Report

(AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett was reportedly the victim of attempted swatting, according to new dispatch audio released on Thursday

Washington, D.C. journalist Andrew Leyden posted about the alleged incident on Thursday, including the audio of police responding to supposed gunshots outside Barrett’s Virginia home.

“Police responded to a call for the sound of gunshots at the home of Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett last night, but quickly realized it was a swatting call and cleared after meeting with her security detail. This is partial police audio, redacted pursuant to media reporting guidelines on coverage of swatting incidents,” Leyden posted.

In the audio, the dispatcher acknowledges the call about gunshots being fired may be a swatting attempt, which is when people falsely call 911 about a fake violent crime taking place at a specific address.

“Units responding to suspicious noise, be advised, we have not been able to get an answer on callback to the complainant’s phone number. Unknown if it’s going to be a swatting situation,” the dispatcher can be heard saying.

Dispatch noted that the call was for a “high-priority resident of the county.”

“Just made contact with security that’s on scene. They should be outside in an Explorer. He said he hasn’t heard anything. We’re just going to meet up with him first, just to go over anything,” a responding officer told dispatch.

Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) quickly came out and condemned the alleged swatting attempt.

“Swatting is an attempt to get an innocent person killed—in this case, a sitting Supreme Court Justice,” he wrote. “The proper response will be putting the offender in prison for many, many years.”

Barrett’s home has been targeted by activists before. In the wake of the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, the group Ruth Sent Us released a map of the addresses of Supreme Court justices’ homes, encouraging in-person protesting.

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