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Oviedo police release 'swatting' hoax shooting call [Orlando Sentinel :: ](Orlando Sentinel (FL) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Aug. 12--The call is dramatic, from a seemingly panicked boy claiming to have shot his mother in the chest with an assault rifle inside an Oviedo home early Friday. But police say that's all it is: drama, a staged emergency call aimed at eliciting a large-scale law enforcement response. The Oviedo Police Department on Tuesday released audio from a so-called "swatting" call they received reporting a shooting at a Running Springs Loop home about 4 a.m. Friday. The call prompted nearly 30 officers from the Oviedo and Winter Springs police departments and Seminole County Sheriff's Office to surround the house. But two people actually in the home were asleep and unaware that someone had placed the phony call, police said. "I have a problem," the caller begins, breathing heavily throughout the call. "I just shot my mom," he continues. Throughout the call, the caller sounds panicked, and a police dispatcher reacts unaware that the shooting is bogus. He asks the caller: Where did you shoot her? "In the chest," the caller replies. "My daddy has a licensed AR-15 in the closet and I took it out and I shot her." The caller was unable to provide a phone number, claiming he called from a iPod. Police agencies surrounded the house, using a PA system to call out to those inside. Eventually, one of the residents came to the door and the house was searched. After two hours, detectives determined the two were victims of "swatting," a cyber prank using a smartphone or tablet app to anonymously call police from a different location and report a fake emergency. Police ask that anyone who recognizes the voice in the call contact Oviedo Detective Daniel Mattingly at 407-971-5717 or [email protected]. Tipsters can also call Crimeline anonymously at 1-800-423-8477. ___ (c)2014 The Orlando Sentinel (Orlando, Fla.) Visit The Orlando Sentinel (Orlando, Fla.) at www.OrlandoSentinel.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |