Sarah Hooper
Published April 20, 2026 7:51pm
Updated April 20, 2026 7:51pm
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Fully clad officers descended upon the home after getting a report (Picture: Facebook)
Police raided a home in Southend-on-Sea this weekend after receiving reports of gunshots – but found a keen gamer using loudspeakers.
A concerned local called around 3.30pm after hearing gunshots and someone shouting ‘I’ve been shot’ from the flat.
Firearms officers wearing balaclavas quickly descended upon the neighbourhood, along with Essex and Hertfordshire Air Ambulance, in case of an injury.
Instead, officers found a gamer playing Call of Duty while using surround sound speakers.
In a statement, the police said they had responded after ‘concerns a person may have been injured with a firearm’.
Luckily, no firearms were present, and no one was injured – except, maybe another player in the first-person shooter game online.
An amulance sat nearby in case the call was real (Picture: Facebook)
Locals in Essex found the situation laughable, with one writing: ‘Imagine being the person innocently playing, and suddenly they get the shock of actually being in that scenario, with people holding real guns.’
Another pointed out: ‘This is a little funny, but also it’s nice knowing that neighbours cared so much for whoever this person was that they called the police and the police turned up quickly. Nice to know that there’s still some very caring people out there!’
One joked: ‘That was the neighbour’s way of getting him to play quietly.’
A similar incident happened to a couple who were playing the popular warfare game after someone heard the woman screaming, ‘please don’t kill me’.
Officers surrounded the mobile home in Deland, Florida, after a woman heard the commotion and raised the alarm.
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But bizarre bodycam footage shows police knocking on the door, only to discover the couple were in fact playing a video game.
The concerned neighbour heard the woman saying ‘please don’t kill me’ and ‘that is my gun, give it to me’, WPLG reported.
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The couple appeared confused by the police presence until the woman realised their intense game of Call of Duty had sparked the phone call.
She was later seen joking with officers, telling them: ‘I have a loud voice.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].
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