The « swatting » prank apparently stemmed from a heated discussion over a gaming bet.
An unarmed Kansas man shot to death by police earlier this week might have been the victim of a misdirected online gaming prank known as « swatting, » authorities said Friday.
The victim, identified as Andrew Finch, was gunned down on Thursday night after cops received a disturbing 911 call from a man who claimed he had shot his father and was holding his mother and younger brother hostage.
« I shot him in the head and he’s not breathing anymore, » the caller said, according to a recording released by the Wichita Police Department .
The caller then added, « I might just pour gasoline all over the house, I might just set it on fire. »
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But investigators say the disturbing tale was made up by a « prankster » who carried out a « swatting » hoax to get a SWAT team to descend on an address. As it turned out, the caller gave cops Finch’s address, reportedly believing it belonged to a person he had gotten into a heated argument with over a $1 or $2 « Call of Duty » wager.
« Due to the actions of a prankster we have an innocent victim, » Wichita deputy police chief Troy Livingston said during a press conference Friday night.
Cops rushed to Finch’s house after the unnerving phone call, expecting an ongoing hostage situation. Instead, an unarmed and unsuspecting Finch came to the front door.
Officers screamed at Finch to put his hands in the air, but Livingston said the 28-year-old moved a hand toward his waistband. An officer, fearing Finch was reaching for a gun, fired a single shot. Finch died minutes later.
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The “swatting” suspect has not been identified and cops said no arrests had been made as of Friday night.
A series of Twitter posts screenshotted by the Wichita Eagle suggests that cops responded to Finch’s house after the targeted “Call of Duty” gamer gave the hoax caller a fake address.
“Someone tried to swat me and got an innocent man killed,” a since-deleted tweet from the gamer reads.
The gamer who supposedly made the call that led to Finch’s death later tweeted: « I DIDNT GET ANYONE KILLED BECAUSE I DIDNT DISCHARGE A WEAPON AND BEING A SWAT MEMBER ISNT MY PROFESSION. »
The potentially devastating prank method has gained particular traction among gaming communities in recent years and the FBI estimates that some 400 cases occur annually. But Thursday’s tragic hoax might be the first time anyone has been killed as a consequence.
Finch’s devastated mother, Lisa Finch, told reporters that her son wasn’t a gamer and didn’t own any guns.
« What gives cops the right to open fire? » she asked. « That cop murdered my son over a false report in the first place. »
The officer who fired the fatal shot is a seven-year veteran with the Wichita department. He has been placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation.
With News Wire Services
