The 26-year-old Tyler Barriss was sentenced to 20 years in prison by a court. Barriss pleaded guilty: In 2017, he made a so-called “swatting” call related to the game Call of Duty WWII. In the police operation, an innocent person lost their life.
That was the trigger for the incident: The incident occurred during the Christmas season of 2017.
According to what we know and what the authorities reported, the following occurred: Two “Call of Duty” players, Casey Viner (19) and Shane Gaskill (20), got into an argument over a bet related to the video game Call of Duty WW2. It was about a bet of $1.50 – about 1.34€.
The two threatened each other to “swat.” This means that someone alerts the police and fakes a dangerous situation. The idea is that a police response team, an armed “SWAT” team, is sent out to subdue the victim of the swatting call.
One of the two Call of Duty players, Viner, then actually recruited Tyler Barriss for such a swatting call. Barriss was known in the “scene” for making such swatting calls.
Gaskill reportedly messaged Barriss on Twitter, asking him to “give it a try.”
Barriss faked a hostage situation with intent to commit murder-suicide
This was the incident: Barriss made the swatting call to police in Wichita. He posed as a hostage-taker who had shot his father. Now he was holding his brother, sister, and mother hostage. Barriss threatened to set the house and himself on fire and kill his family.
Barriss directed the police to an address in Wichita, Kansas, that Viner had provided. Viner believed his rival, Gaskill, lived there. However, that was not the case. Gaskill had given Viner a false address in Wichita, Kansas.
The SWAT team responded on December 27 in Wichita, Kansas, and stood in front of a house from which Andrew Finch emerged, a 28-year-old man completely uninvolved in the situation.
A police officer thought Finch reached for a weapon and opened fire. Finch died.
Afterward, witnesses who were close to Finch said he had repeatedly pulled up his pants. For the police officer who fired and others who were further away, it appeared as though Finch was reaching for a weapon.
No charges were filed against the police officer by the district attorney’s office following the investigation, but charges were filed against Tyler Barriss.
This is how it first looked: Initially, in January 2018, Barriss faced a “light sentence” in Kansas for involuntary manslaughter.
He was facing “only” 36 months in prison and a $300,000 fine.
At that time, Barriss did not seem particularly burdened by it. In April 2018, Barriss apparently was able to gain internet access in prison due to a mistake. Barriss then boasted that he was a “eGod.”
But the actual indictment was now under federal law, and many other crimes by Barriss came into play.
Longest prison sentence in the area of “swatting”
This is how it turned out: Barriss pleaded guilty in November 2018 to a total of 51 charges, including the incident in Wichita and numerous other “false calls.” He was sentenced to 20 years in prison by a federal judge in Los Angeles.
There were 51 federal charges for false calls and threats.
The prosecutors believe this is the longest prison sentence ever pronounced in connection with “swatting.”
The prosecutor stated that they had entered “unknown legal territory” – the law had not yet caught up to the technology. And it still does not reflect how serious the incidents were that occurred.
This is what the parties involved are saying now:
- Barriss says: “If I could, I would take it back, but there’s nothing I can do. I’m so sorry.”
- His lawyer says Barriss is a loner who found solace in the gaming community. His father passed away early and his mother left him.
- The sister of the swatting victim, Dominica Finch, said Barriss got what he deserved. But she also wants to hold the police officer who fired accountable. The Finch family has sued the city of Wichita and the involved police officers.
The two Call of Duty players, Viner and Gaskill, pleaded “not guilty” – their court dates are still pending.
As a result of Andrew Finch’s death, laws have already been tightened.
