Fall River Police determine double murder incident with children involved was a swatting call

The police activity in the 300 block of Stafford Road on Saturday has concluded, and the area is now clear.

According to police, at approximately 6:30 p.m., the Fall River Police Department received a 911 call from an anonymous individual who claimed to have killed his parents and stated that two children were still alive inside the residence. The caller threatened to harm the children if anyone attempted to enter and also made threats to kill responding police officers.

Given the seriousness of the information provided, officers immediately responded and established a perimeter around the area. Out of an abundance of caution, our Emergency Services Unit (ESU) was activated to assist in safely investigating the reported threat.

After a thorough response and investigation, officers determined that the call was a hoax and that no such incident had occurred. There is no ongoing threat to the public.

FRPD released the following statement:

“Hoax emergency calls of this nature are not harmless pranks. They place residents and responding officers at unnecessary risk and divert significant police personnel and resources away from legitimate emergencies occurring throughout our city.

“Our investigation is continuing in an effort to identify the individual responsible for making this call. Those who intentionally make false emergency reports should understand that we will investigate these incidents and seek to hold those responsible accountable for not only the crime but also the costs.

“We thank the residents in the area for their patience and cooperation while our officers worked to safely resolve this incident.”