Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley was targeted by a graphic swatting attempt on New Year’s Day, just two days after another fake emergency was reported at the GOP presidential candidate’s home.
The Charleston County Sheriff’s Office responded to Haley’s house in Kiawah Island, South Carolina, after someone allegedly called authorities and said Haley shot her daughter and was threatening to harm herself, Reuters first reported.
Swatting is a term typically used to describe people making fake emergency calls to threaten another person with an intimidating law enforcement response.
A deputy went to Haley’s home and found the call was a hoax. But the incident came after a man on Dec. 30 lied to authorities and said he shot a woman at Haley’s home, prompting a police response.
USA TODAY has reached out to the sheriff’s office and Haley’s campaign for comment.
Haley in an interview with “Meet the Press” on Sunday addressed the first swatting call, saying she was not home at the time, but her parents were in the house. The former South Carolina governor noted that her parents are 87 and 90 years old.