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On April 17, 2024, at 10:47 am Yamhill Communications received a call from city staff at Lafayette City Hall. City staff said a male caller had called city hall and reported that he was at an address on W 9th Street in the city of Lafayette, and that he had just shot two individuals who were inside the home. The caller also reported that he had barricaded himself in preparation for a law enforcement response and would shoot responding deputies.
Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office responded to the call. The deputy assigned to the city of Lafayette arrived and began directing additional responders to set up a containment around the residence.
Yamhill County Emergency Manager Sergeant Brian Young was notified to send out a shelter in place notification through Everbridge for the surrounding area.
Within a very short period, Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office, with mutual aid support from McMinnville Police Department, Oregon State Police, Yamhill Police Department, and Newberg-Dundee Police Department were able to have a secure perimeter around the address, and initiate contact inside the residence.
An adult female was contacted, who reported there were no issues in the home. The resident was fully cooperative, and the home was checked, and the incident was found to be a false report, constituting a “swatting” incident. Swatting is the action of making a prank call to emergency services to bring about the dispatch of a large number of responders to a particular address.
The determination the report was false came quickly, therefore no Everbridge notification was sent out. The resident of the home reported having prior issues with cyber bullying and harassment. Investigators are working with the city staff to determine the origin of the call.
Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank our partners with the city of Lafayette, Lafayette Fire Department, Lafayette Public Works, McMinnville Rural Fire District, McMinnville Police Department, Newberg-Dundee Police Department, Oregon State Police, Yamhill Police Department, Salem Police Department, and Washington County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance in this event.