POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — A video game is leading to real-world consequences for two out-of-state teenagers.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said, on two nights in June, the teens called 911 about horrific shooting incidents at a Poinciana home.
Except for one thing: the crimes never happened.
Judd explained, on June 4, deputies responded to the home for a report of gunshots.
The next night, the sheriff said, deputies went to the same home — this time the caller stated that he murdered his family with a shotgun.
“There’s a shooting incident next door, and it’s really bad. I’ve heard it before, but this time it’s really bad, and my mother told me to call. They’re shooting, and they’re shooting, and they’re shooting,” he described. “So, we went there and quickly determined that it was a swatting incident.”
Judd said three teens were playing Fortnite online when they started arguing.
The sheriff said it went downhill from there, when the teens called to report a crime that never happened.
News Channel 8 wanted to get inside the head of gamers to find out just how common this is.
Gamer Phillip Moss said it’s especially common in shooter games.
“You hear your enemies, and they don’t like it; they get mad at you and start talking trash,” he explained. “They say a lot of racist things, a lot of bigoted things.”
“It’s hard to play those games sometimes,” Moss continued. “Sometimes when I hear them talking, I have to shut them out.”
But there are a few safety tips to keep in mind.
Dre Stokes plays online games, like Fortnite.
He emphasized the importance of not disclosing your location, and if you are streaming, to avoid having any visible items in the background that could reveal your location, like a package.
But more than anything, Stokes explained, it’s important to stay cool, calm and collected.
“If someone is being toxic, just kill them with kindness,” he said. “It’s a game at the end of the day.”
“There’s no reason to do all of that,” Stokes continued. “If you’re at the point where you have to dox someone because you lost a game, maybe you shouldn’t play that game.”
Sheriff Judd said the teens under arrest are now facing felony charges and the possibility of real time in jail for their argument during a make-believe game.
Both suspects are facing charges for False Report Concerning the Use of Firearms in a Violent Manner (F2) and Unlawful Use of 2-Way Communication Device (F3).
