No suspects in Friday 'swatting' hoax in Littleton

LITTLETON — Several days after a fake 911 call about a person shot on Main Street prompted a law enforcement response, no suspect or suspects have been identified.

If caught, however, the perpetrator of what is called “swatting” faces a felony charge.

Shortly after 2 p.m. on Friday, Littleton police were dispatched to Bingo Nails for the report of shots fired and a woman screaming.

At the time, Littleton police officers and members of the Grafton County Sheriff’s Department were already nearby on South Street conducting an unrelated investigation.

They immediately responded to Main Street.

The street was shut down, and officers contacted the business.

Upon arriving, they found no one injured and observed normal business operations.

While officers were on scene, an updated report was received indicating that a person was suffering from a gunshot wound in the area of Little Village Toy and Book Shop on Main Street.

Officers responded to search, but found nothing suspicious.

Littleton police then determined that the incident was a “swatting” event, which they said is the act of making a false emergency report with the intent of generating a large police response.

Friday’s hoax remains under investigation. Police determined that there is no threat to the public.

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“The case is still active,” Littleton Police Chief Paul Smith said Tuesday. “There are no updates at this time.

In 2023 in New Hampshire, which several years ago experienced a flurry of swatting calls, Senate Bill 244 was made law to allow a Class B felony charge to be filed against anyone making false reports of active shooters or bombs, creating an incident that squanders police and emergency costs and resources, and poses a risk to public safety.

Done as harassment, revenge in a dispute among private parties, or as a prank to cause mass panic or disruption, swatting has led to accidental shootings during several incidents across the nation, where people have been fatally shot or injured after police responded to the locations in the calls.

Perpetrators use several means to hide their identity and location, including using spoofed phone numbers.

On Friday, Smith said the perpetrator likely didn’t use his or her own phone to make the call or used a spoofed number.

It was unclear if the perpetrator was local or from out of the area.

Fortunately, swatting incidents in Littleton are uncommon, said Smith.

The modern forms of swatting appear to have originated with online gamers, he said.

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