A woman has lost her life following an incident in Georgia where police received a message from a Russian IP address alleging that a pipe bomb was placed in the mailbox of Marjorie Taylor Greene.
According to Greene, a police officer responding to the situation collided with another vehicle, resulting in the death of its driver. This information was shared by the Republican congresswoman on X.
“I’m devastated right now,” Greene stated.
On Monday, the assistant chief of the Rome Police Department received an email titled “For Palestine,” which claimed the sender had assembled a pipe bomb using “a 1×8-inch threaded galvanized pipe, end caps, a kitchen timer, some wires, metal clips and homemade black powder.”
“It is programmed to detonate over the weekend, but it would also activate the next time someone opens the mailbox,” stated the unusually detailed threat, which Greene released in a statement. “Even if Marjorie does not personally open the mailbox, I take satisfaction in the idea of some police officers losing their lives or being harmed. VIVA VIVA PALESTINA [SIC].”
The bomb squad quickly arrived at the scene and verified that the mailbox was indeed empty. Greene noted this marks at least the ninth instance of her being “swatted,” where false emergency reports are made to elicit a significant police response.
Tragically, the situation escalated into a fatal incident when an officer en route to Greene’s residence was involved in a crash, as reported by local TV news outlets WRGA and Atlanta News First.
A Rome police officer from the Floyd County Bomb Squad, driving his personal GMC Sierra, struck a Mazda Protégé that was attempting to leave a private lot. The driver of the Mazda, 66-year-old Tammie Pickelsimer from Rome, was transported to a hospital, where she ultimately succumbed to her injuries. The officer, whose identity remains undisclosed, was not harmed.
“These political threats of violence carry deadly repercussions,” Greene conveyed on X. “They place an unnecessary burden on our law enforcement, who must take them seriously.”
Greene expressed that her thoughts and prayers are with Pickelsimer’s family and the involved officer, and confirmed that her office is working with local and federal authorities—including the FBI—to identify the individual responsible for the bomb threat.
A representative from the Rome Police Department verified that the FBI has assumed control of the investigation after local police concluded there was no threat at Greene’s residence.
Greene “personally contacted our Assistant Chief Rodney Bailey overnight to express her sorrow and condolences over the incident,” stated public information officer Kelly Madden to The Daily Beast.
The Georgia State Patrol is currently looking into the fatal accident, she noted.
