A California man was sentenced today to 20 years in prison for making bogus emergency calls to authorities across the country, including one, in particular, that led to a fatal police shooting.
The “swatting” suspect called cops after a disagreement with two other gamers over a $1.50 bet in “Call of Duty: WWII.”
According to the Associated Press, the 2017 death of 28-year-old Andrew Finch drew attention nationwide to the practice of “swatting,” a prank in which someone reports a false emergency to get authorities, particularly a SWAT team, to descend on a particular address.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Authorities say an Ohio gamer recruited Barriss to “swat” a Wichita gamer he was feuding with, but the address they used was old, leading police to Finch, who was not involved in the video game or the dispute.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren sentenced 26-year-old Tyler R. Barriss, under a deal in which he pleaded guilty in November to a total of 51 federal charges related to the fake calls and threats.
Barriss has been tied to a number of “swatting” calls made to D.C., California, and Canada. The intended target in Wichita, Shane Gaskill, 20, and the man who allegedly recruited Barriss, Casey Viner, 19, of North College Hill, Ohio, have also been charged as co-conspirators.
Authorities say Viner provided Barriss with an address for Gaskill that Gaskill had previously given to Viner. Both men have pleaded not guilty, but Viner has since notified the court that he plans to change his plea at a hearing scheduled for next Wednesday.
Finch’s family sued the city of Wichita and the unidentified officers involved in his shooting death. Law enforcement officials have said that the officer who shot Finch thought he was reaching for a gun during the confrontation.
Wichita Prosecutors decided not to charge the officers.
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