Crews responded to a multi-unit house and began setting up a perimeter while evacuating neighbors.
The residence was dark inside, but officers saw an arm in a bedroom window. A drone showed a heat signature that appeared to be a person standing in the apartment, according to the report.
SWAT crews also responded and took over the scene. After using sirens and making repeated verbal commands with no response, they used a ram on a vehicle to push the front door open.
SWAT made more announcements, and a person exited the apartment. Crews cleared the house. They did not locate a shooting victim or anyone else in the unit.
The person in the apartment said he thought crews were there for a neighbor, according to the incident report. A sergeant noted crews made clear announcements for the address the person was at.
The person gave their phone to a detective and allowed them to search it. An initial check showed no calls had been made to Vandalia police dispatchers.
The person said they used to play first-person shooting games online, but it had been awhile, according to the report.
“Through experience, I have found online gaming to be a large contributor to swatting calls,” a sergeant wrote in the report.