In the Christmas season of 2017, there was a tragic incident in Wichita, Kansas. Two players of Call of Duty: WWII got into an argument over a $2 bet. One decided to “swat” the other. In the ensuing police operation, 28-year-old Andrew Finch, who was completely uninvolved, was killed. The family of the deceased sued the city in 2018. Five years later, the tragic incident has now been settled.
How did the swatting happen back then?
- It was about a $2 bet in Call of Duty: WW2. Two players, then 19 and 20 years old, argued over the bet to the extent that one decided to send a police command to the other.
- To initiate the swatting, he recruited the then 25-year-old Tyler Barris, known to engage in such actions. Barris called the Wichita police on December 27, pretending there was a hostage situation: Someone was holding brother, sister, and mother hostage, threatening to kill the family and set the house on fire.
- Barris sent the police to the address given to him by one of the players. But the address was wrong. The hated gaming rival did not live there, but rather the completely uninvolved Andrew Finch. He came out of the house, pulled up his pants multiple times according to witnesses, a police officer thought he was drawing a weapon and shot him. Andrew Finch died.
Family fights in court for 5 years for their rights
This was decided now: What followed was a years-long legal battle. The family of Andrew Finch sued Wichita in 2018 and then fought for their rights for 5 years.
As PC Gamer reports, Wichita was ultimately removed from the lawsuit and only the police officer, Justin Rapp, who shot, was sued – but the city covers his costs.
They have now agreed that the family will receive $5 million, of which the city will pay $2 million, the rest will be covered by insurance.
A spokesperson for the family says:
It was very difficult, to put it politely. I saw the family experience disappointment after disappointment, but today we finally came together as a community. We did it.
The mayor of Wichita says he is just glad that the community has finally been able to find closure, also for the family. It is just a terrible situation.
What happens to the perpetrators? The caller Tyler Barris is serving 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to 51 counts of making false phone calls and issuing threats.
The one who hired him received 15 months in jail – the other Call of Duty player got a fine of $1,000 and some conditions. He violated the conditions but received 18 months in jail.
The case of Andrew Finch led to a change in law in Kansas that imposes harsher penalties for swatting.
Whenever it is warned since then that “swatting” is not a dumb prank but a highly dangerous matter in which people can be seriously harmed or even killed, they are referring specifically to the 2017 case.
Swatting remains a significant issue and very stressful for many Twitch streamers today:
The title image is from the Glendal Police Department. It shows Tyler Barris.
