Swatting incident caused by false active shooter report in Ephrata
R. HANS MILLER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 9 months AGO
A false report of an active shooter at the Walmart store in Ephrata caused concern in the community, but eventually turned out to be a swatting incident.
R. HANS MILLER/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
Managing Editor Rob Miller is a 4-year U.S. Army veteran who grew up in Western Montana in a community about the size of Soap Lake. An honors graduate of Texas State University, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Brandee, and their three dogs, Draco, Pepper and Cinnamon. He has one son, William. During his free time, he enjoys photography, video games, reading and working on the house he and his wife bought in Ephrata. He is passionate about the First Amendment and educating communities. | May 8, 2024 1:42 PM
EPHRATA — A report of an active shooter at the Ephrata Walmart was false according to the Grant County Sheriff’s Office and was the result of swatting — a practice of reporting a fake emergency to authorities to get a reaction, often to harass those at the location the false incident was reported to have occurred.
“There is no active shooter at the Ephrata Walmart, a false report (swatting) happened and caused the rumor to grow,” an announcement from GCSO said. “Again, no active shooter at Ephrata Walmart. Other regional Walmarts are also not under fire.”
While the report turned out to be false, Ephrata School District Director of Communications Sarah Morford said the school district had secured campuses as a precaution to keep students and staff safe.
“Out of an abundance of caution, Columbia Ridge Elementary, Ephrata Middle School and Tiger Cub Preschool have been placed into "Secure the Building" protocol. All students are safe. Students will be kept inside and learning will continue as usual,” a statement from the district said when the false report was first made.
Morford said the campuses were back to business as usual as of 1:20 p.m.
In Washington, falsely reporting a crime such as in a swatting incident is covered by RCW 9A.84.040 and defines swatting as a felony in cases similar to the situation in Ephrata on Wednesday afternoon.
The Columbia Basin Herald has reached out to management at the Ephrata Walmart and will update this story with any response once it is provided.
ARTICLES BY R. HANS MILLER
Feb. 10 initial election results
EPHRATA — Voters were asked to approve or reject educational programs and operations levy requests from a number of Grant and Adams county school districts in Tuesday’s special election. Voters in the Ephrata School District and East Adams Rural Healthcare decided the fate of specific proposals. Unofficial results released Tuesday night are listed below with additional votes coming in via mail over the next few days. Mailed-in ballots must have been postmarked by Feb. 10, 2026 to be counted.
COLUMN: It’s amazing what you can learn ...
Four years ago, almost to the day, my wife and I closed on the first home either of us have owned, a stunningly Pepto-pink house in Ephrata with what we thought of at the time as “character.” It turns out, that character is really, in many ways, a lot of work. Work I hadn’t done much of since helping my dad out when I was a kid a few decades ago. Still though, all of the work I had to relearn or learn – thank goodness for the folks at Ace, Lowe’s and experts on YouTube – has been incredibly rewarding.
Take a wander, see a wonder
MOSES LAKE — Living in Central Washington has a lot of perks, and one of those is the opportunity to see a variety of wildlife.