Published , by Brittany Vincent
Published , by Brittany Vincent
Tyler Barriss, the 26-year-old California man responsible for the hoax 911 call that lead to the death of a Kansas man, was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
The Associated Press reports that the Wichita man was involved in an argument with another Call of Duty player over a $1.50 bet. Tensions escalated, leading to Barriss calling the Wichita police and telling them his opponent had murdered his father and had been holding the other family members hostage. Barriss gave the address he thought belonged to the other Call of Duty player he had been butting heads with.
Unfortunately, the address actually belonged to 28-year-old Andrew Finch, a third party uninvolved with their petty argument. Police were dispatched to Finch's home, who opened the door, and was shot when he answered the door. This incident marked the first time a swatting incident resulted in the death of one of the victims.
The other person involved in the argument, Casey Viner, with Brass was charged with conspiracy to make a false report, wire fraud, obstruction of justice, and conspiracy to obstruct justice. Another involved party was charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice, wire fraud, and obstruction of justice. Meanwhile, Finch's family has sued the city of Wichita.
For the uninitiated, swatting is a practice where you contact the authorities and call in a false report – it ultimately results in a lot of fear and terrifying circumstances for the party involved, and wasted money and resources from police forces.
Barriss will be spending the next two decades in jail over a $1.50 Call of Duty bet – hope it was worth it.