CANFIELD, Ohio - A local "swatting" incident here in the Valley may be linked to other cases across the country.

In December of 2023, Police were called to a home in Canfield by dispatch, after a caller said that they had broken into a home and shot a resident, and that there were children inside the house.

According to a report, dispatchers advised officers that they believed it to be a swatting call, which is when someone calls 9-1-1 to report a fake crime to attract a large police response.

Once on scene, officers tried to contact the homeowner, but eventually flagged down a neighbor who told officers that they had not seen anything unusual. Officers were eventually able to make contact with one of the homeowners, who walked outside with their hands up. They told officers that they were confused by the police presence.

According to a report, officers left the scene without incident, and once they arrived back at the station, a dispatcher advised them that a person called and said that they had broken into the home, and after one of the homeowners approached them with a knife, the caller shot them in the head with a 9mm handgun.

Dispatch told officers that the caller also said that there were children in the home, and that he was going to shoot himself before the call disconnected.

Canfield officers tracked the number, which led them to a Google Voice account. After tracking that account, officers found that multiple inquires were made on the same number by Columbus Police, Fairfax County Virginia, and the U.S. Secret Service.

The report states that the number was associated with ongoing investigations, both federally and locally.

The IP address was linked to an address in Africa, and another in South Carolina. Secret Service members said they interviewed the residents of the South Carolina address and found that they were not involved.

Officers have chosen to close the case in Canfield.