A Kansas City man, identified in court documents as James Suffern, was charged after an alleged 911 call reported a shooting at a hospital following a traffic stop for an expired license plate. Liberty Hospital entered a lockdown at 1:32 p.m. as officers responded to the report.
When police investigated, they found no evidence of any shooting. The lockdown was lifted at 1:40 p.m., after dispatchers were unable to reach the caller and responding units determined there was no threat. Court documents say the 911 call’s phone number was later connected to Suffern, and its location was near the traffic stop.
Suffern was charged with making a terrorist threat, first-degree, after the incident on July 8. Officers took him into custody and found he had two cellphones. After a search warrant was obtained, investigators attempted to access the phones, which were locked with a pattern passcode; a detective later called the number tied to the reported 911 call, and one phone lit up with the detective’s contact information. Suffern told police he was on his way to Liberty Hospital for physical therapy and that his cousin was following him, and he did not admit to making the call. His next hearing is scheduled for July 14.
Traffic stop leads to hospital lockdown after alleged fake 911 shooting report
