Firearms officers, paramedics, and an air ambulance were called at around 3:35 PM after a member of the public reported gunshots and a shout of 'I've been shot' from a flat. Essex Police was called with concerns a person may have been injured with a firearm, and armed officers quickly attended the scene. Responders were prepared to force entry into the home, and the Essex and Herts Air Ambulance had arrived at a nearby park to prepare for medical evacuation. The 999 call was made with genuine concern, according to reports. Officers confirmed no firearms were present and no one had sustained any injuries. The noise came from a gamer playing Call of Duty and using powerful speakers. It remains unknown what specific actions the armed police took upon arrival before discovering the source, who made the 999 call, or whether any charges were issued for the disturbance.
This incident echoes similar false alarms involving police firearms units in recent years. In August last year, a 16-year-old boy was pinned to the floor by police after an imitation firearm sparked fears of a 'mass shooter' in the area. The Metropolitan Police later dismissed claims the boy was an 'attempted mass shooter' as claimed on social media and believed he may have been travelling to a nearby comic convention. In 2016, Surrey Police sent firearms officers to a cafe in southwest London after a passer-by reported seeing guns inside. The three gun-wielding officers arrived to discover Hussar's Coffee House in Hampton Wick was being used as a film set.
Statistics highlight the scale of armed response activity. Essex Police used its armed response unit for around 14,000 incidents last year, with those officers arresting 336 people. The unit has not shot in public for more than a decade, since a suspect was hit in the leg and arrested in 2015. That was the first such case for more than 30 years.