A woman has died following a hoax pipe bomb threat against Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA). An unknown individual allegedly sent a threat from a Russian IP address to the Rome Police Department in Georgia, claiming a pipe bomb was inside the Congresswoman’s home mailbox. A female bystander died when her vehicle collided with a bomb squad unit responding to the hoax.
Tragedy unfolded as Sgt. David Metroka, a member of the Floyd County bomb squad, collided with the vehicle while heading to police headquarters. The collision involved his personal GMC Sierra and a Mazda Protégé driven by 66-year-old Tammie Pickelsimer, who succumbed to her injuries at a hospital. Doctors treated Metroka for minor injuries and then discharged him.
Congresswoman Greene expressed her sorrow over the events on social media. “I’m heartsick right now… My prayers are with Tammie Pickelsimer, her family, the officer who was injured, and the entire Rome Police Department,” she said.
“These violent political threats have fatal consequences. It’s an undue strain on our law enforcement who must treat them seriously. The officer was responding to protect my life. And now, a woman has lost her life because of this despicable act.”
Police described the message, with the subject “For Palestine,” as alarmingly precise. It detaild the materials used for the supposed device and its supposed location. Concerningly, the bomb threat, which included Greene’s home address, initially went unnoticed in the police department’s spam folder.
Greene says this marks her ninth instance of “swatting,” where fake emergencies are reported to elicit a forceful police response.
I’m heartsick right now. I was just informed that an innocent woman died today in an auto accident involving a member of the Rome Police bomb squad who was responding to the threat at my home.
My prayers are with Tammie Pickelsimer, her family, the officer who was injured, and… https://t.co/eGaUoZkMWs
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) December 10, 2024
