Police vehicle crash responding to a bomb threat toward Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene results in death of woman

A motorist was killed Monday in a traffic accident with a police officer responding to a bomb threat at the home of Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene, authorities said.

Greene, a Republican who represents Georgia’s 14th Congressional District, said in a statement that her local police department in Rome, about 60 miles northwest of Atlanta, received the bomb threat via email. Law enforcement agencies across the country have been responding to increasing threats against lawmakers in recent years.

An email stating a pipe bomb had been placed in the congresswoman’s mailbox was sent to Rome’s assistant chief of police at 7:05 p.m. Friday, according to the Rome Police Department. The email, which contained Greene’s home address, went to the system’s junk folder and was not discovered until Monday morning around 9:30 a.m.

The department sent an officer to Greene’s home to monitor the mailbox until the bomb squad arrived. Greene was not home at the time.

Rome police tasked the multiagency Floyd County Bomb Squad to mobilize at its headquarters so it could respond to Greene’s residence.

On the way to headquarters, in his personal vehicle, a Rome officer who is also a member of the county bomb squad was involved in a crash, the Rome Police Department said in a statement.

The driver of the other car, Tammie Pickelsimer, had pulled out of a parking lot in front of the truck driven by the officer, a statement from the police said.

Pickelsimer was killed, Rome Police spokesperson Kelly Madden confirmed to CNN. The officer was “not critically injured,” the police statement said.

The Rome Police Department offered “heartfelt condolences” to the family of the car crash victim while maintaining “the department holds the individual responsible for sending the threatening email fully accountable for setting this tragic chain of events into motion.”

The bomb squad ruled out any dangers at Greene’s residence and turned the investigation over to the FBI, police said, adding the federal agency “traced the threat’s origin to a Russian IP address.”

The Rome Police Department said an emergency response was not needed for the bomb threat. The department has put protocols in place to make sure emergency responses are triggered when necessary.

CNN reached out to the FBI but did not receive an immediate response. Investigators have not disclosed further details of the incident.

The threat directed at Greene comes in the wake of multiple false threats made against various members of Congress.

The email came with the subject line “For Palestine,” according to a screenshot shared by Greene. The email claimed a pipe bomb was hidden in Greene’s mailbox, set to detonate over the weekend or when opened.

Greene sent condolences to the victims of the crash.

“My prayers are with Tammie Pickelsimer, her family, the officer who was injured and the entire Rome Police Department,” Greene expressed on social media.

“Due to the international nature and severity of this threat, my office is collaborating closely with local and federal law enforcement, including the FBI, to ensure the perpetrator is brought to justice,” Greene posted.

Greene shared a video showing an officer in protective gear outside her home during the investigation.

Since her election to Congress, Greene has reported being “swatted” at least nine times, which she describes as deliberate attempts to provoke dangerous police responses through false and exaggerated threats.

Saturday, Rep. Lori Trahan, a Massachusetts Democrat, announced on social media she was the target of a bomb threat, while at least six other Democratic lawmakers received notifications of threats aimed at their residences on Thanksgiving Day.

“The individual responsible for this crime has effectively committed murder in our small community of Rome, Georgia,” Greene said. “I’m both sickened and angry. This should never have happened, and I pray it never happens again.”

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