A California man was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for making false emergency calls across the country, including one that led to a fatal police shooting in Wichita, Kansas, according to the Associated Press.
Tyler Barriss, 26, pleaded guilty in November to a total of 51 federal charges tied to fake calls and threats. U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren handed down the sentence under that plea deal.
Authorities say the case began with a dispute between gamers over a $1.50 wager in Call of Duty: WWII. Prosecutors say an Ohio gamer recruited Barriss to swat a Wichita gamer he was feuding with. Swatting is a dangerous prank in which someone reports a false emergency to draw a police response, often a SWAT team, to a specific address.
The address used was an old one, which sent police to the home of Andrew, a 28 year old man who was not involved in the game or the dispute. Andrew was shot and killed by an officer in 2017, and his death drew national attention to swatting. Law enforcement officials have said the officer believed he was reaching for a gun. Wichita prosecutors decided not to charge the officers, and Andrew’s family has filed a lawsuit against the city and the officers involved.
Barriss has also been tied to swatting calls in Washington, D.C., California and Canada. Two other men, Shane, 20, the intended target in Wichita, and Casey, 19, of North College Hill, Ohio, who is accused of recruiting Barriss, have been charged as co conspirators. Authorities say Casey passed along an address that Shane had previously given him. Both men pleaded not guilty, though Casey has told the court he plans to change his plea at a hearing next Wednesday.
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