A woman has been killed during a police response to an apparent “swatting” hoax at the home of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) in Georgia.
As officers rushed to respond to what they believed was an emergency situation at Greene’s home, local police were involved in a car crash that left a woman dead.
Greene took to social media on Monday to report that she was the subject of a bomb threat directed at her home.
The congresswoman said the Rome Police Department’s assistant chief received the threat via email.
The email prompted a bomb squad to be dispatched to her home.
Greene says that this is not the first time she has been the subject of a swatting call since being elected to Congress.
She noted that she has been “swatted at least nine times.”
A swatting call involves alerting 911 of a false threat to a specific location or person.
The hoax invokes a police response and can divert resources from real crimes or threats.
In addition, triggering an emergency armed response to a person’s home places all of the occupants in danger.
Greene said the email was traced back to a Russian IP address.
Her office will be working with local and federal law enforcement, including the FBI, to bring the perpetrator to justice.
Rome police reported that during the attempt to respond to Greene’s home, a deadly traffic incident took place.
The fatal car accident involved a Rome police officer who was rushing to Greene’s home.
In a statement, the Rome Police Department said:
“On Monday, December 9, a Rome Police Department officer was traveling in a personal vehicle en route to take his place with the Bomb Squad on a call.
“This officer was involved in a traffic accident on Redmond Rd near Walmart which has created significant travel delays around the Norfolk Southern Railroad Tracks.”
Greene said she was “heartsick” over the deadly accident.
She revealed that the crash claimed the life of a woman and injured a police officer.
“I’m heartsick right now,” she wrote.
“I was just informed that an innocent woman died today in an auto accident involving a member of the Rome Police bomb squad who was responding to the threat at my home.
“These violent political threats have fatal consequences,” she continued.
“It’s an undue strain on our law enforcement who must treat them seriously.
“The officer was responding to protect my life.
“And now, a woman has lost her life because of this despicable act,” the post said.
“My prayers are with Tammie Pickelsimer, her family, the officer who was injured, and the entire Rome Police Department.”
Greene was noticeably outraged throughout her updates.
She accuses the perpetrator of the call of committing murder.
“I’m sick to my stomach, but I’m also angry,” she said.
“This should have never happened and I pray it never happens again.”
She went on to thank Rome PD for protecting the city and putting their lives at stake.
The cause of the accident is still under investigation.
