In a swatting incident in Kansas, a 28-year-old man died. The swatting resulted from a bet over a Call of Duty match. The alleged swatter has now been charged.
We reported on the case of a 28-year-old man shot by police officers in Wichita, Kansas, between the years. The police action was triggered by an emergency call: The caller described a dangerous hostage situation.
Police shoot bystander after swatting call
A scenario was described that the caller had accidentally shot his father and had now taken his mother and sister hostage. The caller appeared confused. Additionally, the caller made motions as if to set the house on fire.
In the following police operation, a 28-year-old man lost his life. A police officer shot him when the man came to the door and made a movement that the officer interpreted as aggressive. Investigations against the officer who fired are still ongoing.
A day after the incident, 25-year-old Tyler Barriss was arrested. He is alleged to have made the call. Barris is now on trial in Kansas for involuntary manslaughter. He was transferred from California to Sedgwick County Jail in Kansas on Thursday. The trial against him began on Friday.
Involuntary manslaughter in Kansas means causing someone’s death without intention but through reckless behavior.
Swatters face up to 36 months in prison and a $300,000 fine
The maximum penalty for involuntary manslaughter is 36 months in prison and a fine of $300,000. Barriss’s bail is set at $500,000.
The responsible prosecutor stated that Barriss cannot be charged with murder for legal reasons.
Alleged perpetrator reportedly did the same thing in Canada just days before
Just days before the swatting in Wichita, Barriss was reportedly involved in a very similar incident in Calgary, Canada. There too, a man called the police, claiming he had shot his father and was now holding his mother and younger brother hostage.
When the police arrived at the address, they encountered an unarmed woman. She stated that she was the target of the call because of her online personality.
No one died as a result of the incident in Calgary.
The background was likely a bet over a Call of Duty match
The background of the swatting call was likely a dispute between two Call of Duty players over a bet. Barriss is considered a known swatter in the Call of Duty community, having made such or similar calls repeatedly. He is also alleged to have made bomb threats.
Barris got involved in this dispute when the two players threatened each other with swatting. However, Barriss received the wrong address and sent the Wichita police to an uninvolved person with his swatting call.
It is believed that the incident in Wichita is the first swatting incident to cost a human life.
Here we have more information about the case:
