Victims of Swatting Warn ‘Untouchable Crime’ Will End in Tragedy

“Please don’t shoot my wife.” That was Chad Caton’s desperate request as he stood in front of his garage at 3 a.m., staring down the barrel of a rifle. His wife had hung back inside their home in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to secure their dog in a bathroom. As she exited with her hands up, another gun trained on her face. Caton pleaded again for his wife’s safety with the anxious police officer at his side. He could see the officer shaking and knew that, in tense situations, misunderstandings can quickly devolve into tragedies. Although frightening, the March 17 incident did not come as a surprise to Caton. As an outspoken conservative and a friend to many previous swatting victims, he’d known there was a chance he could be next....