Overview
- Fairfax County officers answered a non‑emergency report of gunshots Wednesday night and, after meeting the Supreme Court security detail at the residence, concluded the call was a swatting hoax.
- Redacted police dispatch audio posted online by freelance journalist Andrew Leyden shows dispatchers warned responders the call could be a swatting attempt when they could not reach the original complainant.
- No evidence of gunfire was found and no additional tactical units were deployed, and Justice Barrett attended court the next morning without publicly addressing the incident.
- Authorities have not identified or arrested a suspect and federal and local investigators are treating the call as an active investigation that must overcome common tracing challenges such as caller spoofing and anonymizing services.
- The episode adds to a pattern of threats and hoaxes directed at the Supreme Court in recent years and could lead to tighter protective measures for justices and renewed emphasis on prosecuting swatting incidents.