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An unarmed Kansas man shot to death by police earlier this week might have been the victim of a misdirected online gaming prank known as "swatting," authorities said Friday.
The victim, identified as Andrew Finch, was gunned down on Thursday night after cops received a disturbing 911 call from a man who claimed he had shot his father and was holding his mother and younger brother hostage.
"I shot him in the head and he's not breathing anymore," the caller said, according to a recording released by the Wichita Police Department.
The caller then added, "I might just pour gasoline all over the house, I might just set it on fire."
Los Angeles police on Friday said they had arrested 25-year-old Tyler Barriss, the gamer suspected to be behind the deadly hoax.
But investigators say the disturbing tale was made up by a "prankster" carrying out a so-called "swatting" hoax — a potentially catastrophic prank in which a person makes a fake police report to trigger a massive emergency response. As it turned out, the caller gave cops Finch's address, mistakenly believing it belonged to a person he had feuded with over a $1 or $2 Call of Duty wager.
"Due to the actions of a prankster we have an innocent victim," Wichita deputy police chief Troy Livingston said during a press conference Friday night.
MANDATORY CREDIT; OUT: KFTI, KWCH, KMUW, KNSS, KDGS, KEYN, KAKE, KSNW, KFDI, KFH, KGSO
Cops rushed to Andrew Finch's home in Wichita after a "prankster" made up a story about a hostage situation there. (Fernando Salazar /The Wichita Eagle via AP)
Cops rushed to Finch's house after the unnerving phone call, expecting an ongoing hostage situation. Instead, an unarmed and unsuspecting Finch came to the front door.
Officers screamed at Finch to put his hands in the air, but Livingston said the 28-year-old moved a hand toward his waistband. An officer, fearing Finch was reaching for a gun, fired a single shot. Finch died minutes later.
A series of Twitter posts allegedly authored by Barriss and screenshotted by the Wichita Eagle suggest that cops responded to Finch’s house after the targeted Call of Duty gamer gave the hoax caller a fake address.
“Someone tried to swat me and got an innocent man killed,” read a since-deleted tweet from the would-be victim.
The Twitter account reportedly belonging to Barris later posted: "I DIDNT GET ANYONE KILLED BECAUSE I DIDNT DISCHARGE A WEAPON AND BEING A SWAT MEMBER ISNT MY PROFESSION."
The potentially devastating prank method has gained particular traction among gaming communities in recent years and the FBI estimates that some 400 cases occur annually. But Thursday's tragic hoax might be the first time anyone has been killed as a consequence.
Finch's devastated mother, Lisa Finch, told reporters that her son wasn't a gamer and didn't own any guns.
"What gives cops the right to open fire?" she asked. "That cop murdered my son over a false report in the first place."
The officer who fired the fatal shot is a seven-year veteran with the Wichita department. He has been placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation.
Barriss was previously arrested in 2015, when police say he falsely claimed to have planted bombs in the offices of ABC's Los Angeles affiliate, KABC-TV.
Barriss, then 22, faced three felony charges for the hoax.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nati...icle-1.3726171
The victim, identified as Andrew Finch, was gunned down on Thursday night after cops received a disturbing 911 call from a man who claimed he had shot his father and was holding his mother and younger brother hostage.
"I shot him in the head and he's not breathing anymore," the caller said, according to a recording released by the Wichita Police Department.
The caller then added, "I might just pour gasoline all over the house, I might just set it on fire."
Los Angeles police on Friday said they had arrested 25-year-old Tyler Barriss, the gamer suspected to be behind the deadly hoax.
But investigators say the disturbing tale was made up by a "prankster" carrying out a so-called "swatting" hoax — a potentially catastrophic prank in which a person makes a fake police report to trigger a massive emergency response. As it turned out, the caller gave cops Finch's address, mistakenly believing it belonged to a person he had feuded with over a $1 or $2 Call of Duty wager.
"Due to the actions of a prankster we have an innocent victim," Wichita deputy police chief Troy Livingston said during a press conference Friday night.
MANDATORY CREDIT; OUT: KFTI, KWCH, KMUW, KNSS, KDGS, KEYN, KAKE, KSNW, KFDI, KFH, KGSO
Cops rushed to Andrew Finch's home in Wichita after a "prankster" made up a story about a hostage situation there. (Fernando Salazar /The Wichita Eagle via AP)
Cops rushed to Finch's house after the unnerving phone call, expecting an ongoing hostage situation. Instead, an unarmed and unsuspecting Finch came to the front door.
Officers screamed at Finch to put his hands in the air, but Livingston said the 28-year-old moved a hand toward his waistband. An officer, fearing Finch was reaching for a gun, fired a single shot. Finch died minutes later.
A series of Twitter posts allegedly authored by Barriss and screenshotted by the Wichita Eagle suggest that cops responded to Finch’s house after the targeted Call of Duty gamer gave the hoax caller a fake address.
“Someone tried to swat me and got an innocent man killed,” read a since-deleted tweet from the would-be victim.
The Twitter account reportedly belonging to Barris later posted: "I DIDNT GET ANYONE KILLED BECAUSE I DIDNT DISCHARGE A WEAPON AND BEING A SWAT MEMBER ISNT MY PROFESSION."
The potentially devastating prank method has gained particular traction among gaming communities in recent years and the FBI estimates that some 400 cases occur annually. But Thursday's tragic hoax might be the first time anyone has been killed as a consequence.
Finch's devastated mother, Lisa Finch, told reporters that her son wasn't a gamer and didn't own any guns.
"What gives cops the right to open fire?" she asked. "That cop murdered my son over a false report in the first place."
The officer who fired the fatal shot is a seven-year veteran with the Wichita department. He has been placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation.
Barriss was previously arrested in 2015, when police say he falsely claimed to have planted bombs in the offices of ABC's Los Angeles affiliate, KABC-TV.
Barriss, then 22, faced three felony charges for the hoax.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nati...icle-1.3726171
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