Police Seemed to Have Known the Emergency Call Targeting Amy Coney Barrett Was Likely a Swatting Attempt

Matt Vespa | May 29, 2026 6:55 AM

We can call it swatting, though it’s really an attempt to commit murder. Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s residence was targeted in an attack that could have caused serious injury or death. It involves someone making a hoax emergency call to provoke an armed police response. It is usually carried out by unhinged left-wing activists. Prominent conservatives have, or should, consult with their local police departments to alert them about this form of harassment. The good news is that Barrett and her family are safe, and Fairfax County Police quickly determined that the 9-1-1 call was fake (via NBC News):

Police in Fairfax County, Virginia, said Thursday that the call was received through the police department’s nonemergency line just after 9 p.m. ET.
“Officers immediately coordinated with Supreme Court Police personnel assigned to the residence and quickly determined that the report was fictitious,” Fairfax County police said in a statement. “No additional police resources were utilized.”
The Supreme Court’s public information office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Barrett, whom President Donald Trump appointed in 2020, was on the bench Thursday morning for decisions.
According to a recording of the police dispatch obtained by NBC Washington, a dispatcher alerted responding officers that a caller, who identified themselves as a neighbor, reported “gunshots heard” at an address belonging to Barrett in Fairfax County.
Later in the recording, a dispatcher says, “Be advised, we have not been able to get an answer on callback to the complainant’s phone number.”
“Unknown if it’s going to be a swatting situation or not,” the dispatcher continued, noting that the address “has 24-hour security coverage for a high-priority resident of the county.”
[…]
Barrett and her family have been the targets of threats in the past. In March 2025, Barrett’s sister Amanda Coney Williams was the target of a bomb threat at her home in Charleston, South Carolina.
Other justices have faced threats. A woman was sentenced in October to eight years in prison after she pleaded guilty to attempting to assassinate Justice Brett Kavanaugh. She was found near Kavanaugh’s home in 2022 armed with a handgun, a knife, pepper spray and burglary tools, according to authorities.