The Island County Sheriff’s Office released an audio clip of a fake 911 call of an active shooter, pursuant to a public records request.

The man called into the business line of the 911 I-COM dispatch center Friday night. He told the dispatcher that he just stabbed his girlfriend and had her nieces tied up in the bathroom; he claimed he was thinking about shooting them with a shotgun.

The man identified himself as “David” and gave an address that is actually that of David Sponheim, a resident of the Rolling Hills neighborhood of North Whidbey Island.

Sponheim, founder of American’s Third Party and a former candidate for state representative, was doing a live blog from his home at the time.

Undersheriff Kelly Mauck said the call was likely a case of “swatting,” in which a prankster tricks emergency responders into an emergency response.

Detective Ed Wallace said anyone who recognizes the voice or has information about the hoax should contact I-COM or send an email to tips@co.island.wa.us

During the call, the dispatcher speaks calmly to the caller during the seven-and-a-half minute conversation in which the man describes a harrowing scene.

“I want to get some people out there to help you,” the dispatcher says. “I don’t want you to hurt anyone, OK? I don’t want you to hurt yourself either.”

“Oh, I already hurt someone,” the caller responds, “I already hurt my girlfriend. She’s dead. I stabbed her in the next about 10 times and I’m home with a 12-gauge shotgun right now and I’m going to shoot her nieces.”

The sheriff’s SWAT team immediately prepared to respond to the potential hostage situation. The county’s emergency management department contacted about 140 residents of the neighborhood with a phone message, informing them of a potential active shooter situation and warning them to remain indoors, according to Mauck.

Detectives tried to call Sponheim at different numbers, but were unable to get through. Mauck, however, said he did some online research and found Sponheim’s live video blog for his political show and realized that Sponheim was on the air at the time.

“The last thing you want to do is go into the wrong home or go into a home when it’s a bad situation,” Mauck said.

He called Sponheim and spoke to both him and his girlfriend. Mauck instructed the woman to call 911.

Detective Ed Wallace said the sheriff’s Hard Entry and Response, the department’s SWAT team, was setting up to go into the house. Another detective was writing a search-warrant request. He said they would have gone in if they either had the search warrant or if they were alerted to signs of immediate trouble — like gunfire — inside the home.

Eventually both Sponheim and his girlfriend stepped outside and spoke with police officers, reassuring them that the call that 911 received was a hoax.

Sponheim said that he was discussing Sen. John McCain’s war record during that day’s show; he was defending the senator’s status of a hero against Donald Trump supporters who question the categorization.

Sponheim said he believes that the hoax was an attempt to silence him and his effort to start a third party.

Sponheim said about 90 percent of his political signs have been stolen.

Today wasn’t the first time that someone threatened violence against Sponheim. A bomb disposal unit at the base responded to a suspicious package at his home five years ago, but that also turned out to be a hoax.