A home in a tranquil neighborhood attracted a swarm of armed police officers following reports of gunshots and a person yelling about being shot. The incident unfolded in Ferring, near Colchester, Essex, prompting a concerned resident to dial 999 out of fear for a potential serious injury in the small village. Responding to the call, armed officers, ambulances, and even an air ambulance rushed to the scene at approximately 3:30 pm on Saturday, April 18, suspecting a shooting had occurred.
Contrary to expectations, law enforcement officers found no firearms or injuries upon arrival. Instead, they discovered that the commotion was caused by someone playing the video game “Call of Duty” loudly on a new sound system. Images from the location depicted several police cars stationed on the village road, with about a dozen officers, some armed and one holding a chainsaw, marching towards the residence. Despite the initial alarm, authorities swiftly confirmed the absence of weapons or casualties.
The realistic sound effects of gunfire and the player’s loud shouts from the game prompted a nearby individual to alert the police, triggering a full emergency response, as reported by Your Southend. Essex Police clarified the situation by stating that they received a call expressing concerns about a possible firearm-related injury at an address on Sherwood Way around 3:35 pm on April 18. Their prompt investigation, supported by emergency services, confirmed the absence of firearms and injuries. Essex Police commended the caller for their well-intentioned report to the emergency services.
In a separate incident, the Essex Police armed response unit had been deployed to approximately 14,000 incidents in 2025, resulting in the arrest of 336 individuals. This occurrence echoes a previous event where armed police rushed to Hussar’s Coffee House in Hampton Wick, southwest London, mistaking prop guns used in a film production for real firearms. During the filming, actors, crew members, and makeup artists were interrupted by the arrival of three police officers armed with rifles in 2016. The Metropolitan Police clarified that the firearm report turned out to be part of a film production, with no criminal activities identified.
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