Police swarmed the Autumn Chase Apartments complex in east Vancouver on Wednesday night after someone called the police department to say he had shot his father and was about to shoot his mother. A police officer on scene said the call sounded like a prank, but law enforcement officials still needed to investigate.
The call came in at about 10:30 p.m. By about 11:40 p.m., Vancouver police started to leave the scene, 11301 N.E. Seventh St., after finding no evidence of a shooting. They said the call came through to the police department on a back line, making it difficult to trace, according to emergency radio traffic monitored at The Columbian.
Soon after the first call, police also received another call, presumably from the same person, who said he had shot his mother and was about to kill his brother.
Police were investigating whether the incident was a “swatting” call. That’s when a caller tricks 911 into dispatching emergency responders — often members of the SWAT Team — to a made-up emergency.
