Minecraft-Playing Grandma Swatted During Fundraiser for Grandson’s Cancer Treatment

An 81-year-old Arizona grandmother was subjected to a police “swatting” call while livestreaming a Minecraft fundraiser to cover her grandson’s cancer treatment, authorities said.

The incident is the latest high-profile case in the United States of criminal harassment involving a prank call to emergency operators intended to dispatch a heavily armed police response to a target’s home.

Sue Jacquot, known online as “GrammaCrackers,” had built a substantial YouTube following by playing the game with her family, including streaming for 15 consecutive days, to raise money for the cancer treatments of her grandson, Jack Self.

On Monday, someone falsely reported to police that Jacquot had been shot and killed, prompting more than a dozen Queen Creek officers in full tactical gear to swarm her home.

The livestream showed officers entering Jacquot’s room and waking her. “They just sort of escorted me out, and they were apologizing,” Jacquot told local news outlet KPNX. “I just wondered what my grandkids had done.”

Jacquot began playing Minecraft as a way to bond with her family. When Jack, 17, was diagnosed with a rare form of sarcoma cancer, his grandmother decided to dedicate all ad revenue from her videos to help cover treatment costs.

Hundreds of thousands of online gamers subscribed to Jacquot’s channel to watch her, Jack and another grandson, Austin, play the game. A GoFundMe campaign also boosted donations.

The swatting call, which police are investigating, included “a call that Jack shot his grandma and killed her – and that he was going to kill himself,” Jack said. “And right then, I was like, ‘Whoa.’ It was kind of like a punch to the stomach.”

Despite the scare, Jacquot said she has no plans to stop gaming. “They’re not going to tell me what I can do. They’re not going to make me afraid to do that.”