False shooting call prompts response in Vermont, Quebec

DERBY LINE, Vt. – Police are looking for a man who called in a shooting near Vermont’s border with Canada that never happened.

The Caledonian-Record reports local, state and federal law enforcement locked down part of Derby Line Village on Thursday as part of a manhunt. The response included members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Stanstead, Quebec.

In Derby Line, businesses and public officers were closed for several hours and residents were encouraged to stay indoors. The sheriff’s department said the male caller said he “had just shot a family member,” gave the address of a house near the U.S. port of entry and the border, and hung up.

Police found the address and met with the homeowner, who said he didn’t make the call. Officers searched the house and found nothing.