HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) - “Need all available units. Got a shots heard called in at Wise Library.”

“Now reporting there’s a male in a vehicle walking around the library with a rifle. They’ve heard three shots. Unknown location at this time”

That call rang out on West Virginia University Campus Police Dispatch this morning at 7:38, responding to a call reporting an active shooter at the library.

But the call the dispatcher was citing turned out to be fake.

It’s a phenomenon known as “ swatting ”: someone calls in a fake report of shots fired, throwing emergency responders into swift action. The chaos can be dangerous – and it’s happening all over the county. In the last five days, more than 10 universities have experienced fake reports of an active shooter, from Villanova to the Univ

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