REPORT OF SHOOTING INCIDENT ON OHIO STREET DETERMINED TO BE A HOAX

Joe Lyons • January 5, 2023

Ashland Police Division Officers & Detectives, Ashland County Sheriff’s Office Deputies, along with the Ashland Fire Department & EMS responded to a 911 call saying someone was shot. This later turned out to be a “Swatter” perpetuating an awful hoax.

Press Release reads as follows:

REPORT OF SHOOTING INCIDENT ON OHIO STREET DETERMINED TO BE A HOAX

The Ashland Police Division responded to the report of a shooting today at 2:39 pm. The male caller stated that his dad had shot his mom with a rifle in the living room of 413 Ohio Street. The caller went on to say that he was in an upstairs bedroom and he was unsure if his dad still had the gun, or where he was located in the home.

Police personnel established a perimeter around the home while Fire personnel assisted with shutting down Ohio Street, and EMS staged in the area to provide trauma care to the potential victim. While officers and deputies managed the scene, our detectives began communicating with the caller to gather more information. The caller ultimately admitted that the report was false before disconnecting. The home was found to be vacant. There was no evidence that substantiated a violent crime had occurred inside the house.

This incident will be investigated to determine if the caller can be identified and held accountable for making the false report. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine recently signed a new law that makes this crime a felony of the fourth degree, and raises the penalty to a felony of the second degree if anyone is seriously injured as a result of these reckless acts.