Woman Killed in Officer-Involved Crash During Greene Bomb Threat Incident
WASHINGTON — A 66-year-old Georgia woman was killed Monday in an officer-involved car accident as law enforcement responded to a bomb threat at the home of Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.
Greene posted a thank you note on X to officers with the Rome, Georgia, police department, expressing her gratitude for their “swift and professional response in ensuring my safety” after an assistant chief with the department received an email containing a bomb threat directed towards her.
It was only later that she learned that a member of the bomb squad had been involved in a traffic accident that resulted in the death of another driver, Tammie Pickelsimer.
“I’m heartsick right now,” Greene said in a lengthy X post after she was informed of the tragedy.
“My prayers are with Tammie Pickelsimer, her family, the officer who was injured, and the entire Rome Police Department,” she added.
A spokesperson for the Rome Police Department said the officer involved in the fatal crash serves in a dual role as a member of the department and also as a member of the Floyd County Bomb Squad.
The officer was not critically injured in the accident.
The FBI’s Atlanta, Georgia, division is currently investigating who made the bomb threat.
The incident involving Greene is just the latest in a series of threats and so-called “swatting” events perpetrated against public officials since the Nov. 5 election.
Over the Thanksgiving weekend the Trump transition team reported that several of President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet nominees and administration appointees had been targeted with “unAmerican threats to their lives and those who live with them.”
“In response, law enforcement and other authorities acted quickly to ensure the safety of those who were targeted,” said Trump-Vance Transition Spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt in a written statement. “President Trump and the entire transition team are grateful for their swift action.”
She added: “President Trump and the transition are focused on doing the work of uniting our nation by ensuring a safe and prosperous future.
“With President Trump as our example, dangerous acts of intimidation and violence will not deter us,” she said.
Two days later, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said that several Democratic House members had also been the target of violent threats.
“America is a democracy,” Jeffries said. “Threats of violence against elected officials are unacceptable, unconscionable and have no place in a civilized society. All perpetrators of political violence directed at any party must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
On Tuesday, Greene said the incident in Georgia underscores the fact that “these violent political threats have fatal consequences.”
“It’s an undue strain on our law enforcement who must treat them seriously. The officer was responding to protect my life. And now, a woman has lost her life because of this despicable act,” the congresswoman said.
“The perpetrator of this crime has committed murder in our small community of Rome, Georgia,” Greene continued.
“The police shouldn’t have to respond to these threats and there should not be deaths caused at their hands,” she said, adding, “I’m sick to my stomach, but I’m also angry. This should have never happened and I pray it never happens again.”
“This has to stop,” said Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., in a response to his colleague’s post.
Dan can be reached at [email protected] and @DanMcCue
