Riley G. Bender.
Tyler Barriss of Los Angeles was arrested Friday evening after calling in a tip to police in Wichita, Kansas. According to the 911 audio recording, Barriss claimed to have shot his father during a disagreement with his parents, and was holding his mother and little brother hostage in a closet at gunpoint.
The entire scenario was untrue, fabricated by Barriss to rush police officers to the Wichita home to inflict fear upon a fellow player of a video game. The practice is calling “swatting,” in which a prank caller gives police an address that is not their own, falsely claiming that a violent crime is underway.
The incident began with a disagreement over an online game of “Call of Duty,” a popular wartime shooter. Police surrounded the home of a man identified as Andrew Finch Thursday night while Finch, 28 year old father of two, opened the door to investigate the noises heard by his mother. According to Wichita Deputy Police Chief Troy Livingston, police instructed Finch to place his hands above his head, and when the man gestured toward his waist he was fatally shot in the head. Finch was unarmed.
In the aftermath, police discovered that Finch was in no way connected to the online disagreement, Barriss having supplied the wrong address. In an interview Friday, Finch’s mother blamed police, stating, “That cop murdered my son over a false report in the first place.” She explained that Finch was not a gamer, and was in no way involved with the dispute.
The officer who delivered the shot is currently on paid leave pending investigation.
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