An unsuspecting and unarmed Kansas man opened his front door to encounter a massive presence of law enforcement and SWAT vehicles sparked by a prank 911 call that would culminate in his death.
Officers warned Andrew Finch to put his hands in the air, but the 28-year-old father of two young boys instead moved them toward his waistband, police said. Fearing he was reaching for a weapon, an officer fired a single fatal shot at the Wichita resident.
Authorities said he was the unintended victim of "swatting" — a prank notorious in the gaming community that involves phoning police with a bogus story in hopes of drawing hordes of first responders to a particular address.
Law enforcement estimates that some 400 cases occur annually, though Finch's death appears to be the first time anyone has been killed as a result.
Andrew Finch of Wichita, Kansas, who was shot to death by police when Tyler Raj Barriss allegedly pranked him with a "swatting" phone call.
(GoFundMe)The FBI coined the term back in 2008, pointing out cases of swatting as early as 2002.
The goal behind the prank when it first emerged seemed to be getting authorities to raid the homes of those live streaming their gaming experience to their followers. There are scores of archived videos on Twitch, a popular live streaming video platform popular with gamers, that show authorities dragging unsuspecting people from their games and bursting into their homes.
"The callers often tell tales of hostages about to be executed or bombs about to go off," according to an FBI release. "The community is placed in danger as responders rush to the scene, taking them away from real emergencies."
Lisa Finch, surrounded by family members, reacts on Friday, Dec. 29, 2017, to the killing of her son, Andrew Finch, after he was shot Thursday evening by police.
(Bo Rader/TNS)The prank also puts officers at risk, the FBI noted. Sentinel Police Chief Louis Ross in 2015 was shot three times while responding to supposed bomb threat at an Oklahoma home. He was struck once in the arm and twice in his bulletproof vest.
The homeowner, Dallas Horton, was arrested and then released because "facts surrounding the case led agents to believe the man was unaware it was officers who made entry." Upon further investigation, officers concluded the call had been a swatting prank.
Celebrities, including Clint Eastwood, Paris Hilton, Justin Timberlake, Rihanna and Justin Bieber, have also fell victim to the hoax 911 calls.
Wichita Police Department Deputy Chief Troy Livingston talks to the media during a police briefing about the officer-involved shooting and killing of Andrew Finch.
(Fernando Salazar/AP)The trend picked up so much momentum a few years ago, the Los Angeles Police stopped publishing police reports on swatting in a bid to curb copycats, according to Verge.
Pranksters typically use techniques like Caller ID spoofing and social engineering to mask their own identities and manipulate where the call appears to be coming from. It's also a fairly easy trick to pull off, given law enforcement tends to err on the side of caution, the FBI said.
Since the trend emerged, lawmakers have established harsher penalties for those caught swatting. California State Sen. Ted Lieu, an author behind such a bill, became a victim of swatting himself in 2011.
Tyler Raj Barriss of Chatsworth, California was arrested for making a hoax "swatting" call that got Andrew Finch killed by police.
(Glendale Police Department)Offenders in California are responsible for the "full cost" of the response to the fake threat, which can reach up to $10,000. Pranksters across the United States involved with such a hoax can face charges including conspiracy to retaliate against a witness, victim, or informant; conspiracy to commit access device fraud and unauthorized access of a protected computer and conspiracy to obstruct justice.
Alleged serial prankster and gamer Tyler Barris was arrested in Los Angeles Friday for making the false police report that led to Fincher's death.
Authorities believe he intended to send the SWAT team to the address of a person he had feuded with over a $1 or $2 "Call of Duty" bet.
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