Call of Duty swatter officially sentenced to prison after fatal incident
Tyler Barriss has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for ‘swatting’ a Kansas man that led to him being killed by police.
California resident Tyler Barriss, the man who has become known as the ‘Call of Duty swatter’, has formally been sentenced to 20 years in prison on Friday, March 29 according to the Associated Press.
The sentence stems from a 2017 ‘swatting’ incident that resulted in the death of a Kansas man. Barriss made a false emergency call to law enforcement in Wichita, Kansas claiming there had been a shooting and kidnapping at the address.
Police showed up the house and shot the unarmed man, Andrew Finch, who was not the intended target by Barriss as he unknowingly gave officers the wrong address.
Call of Duty: WWII.Barriss plead guilted to 51 federal charges back in November while also admitting to making the phone calls that led to the death of 28-year-old Finch.
- Read More: ‘Call of Duty swatter’ Tyler Barriss pleads guilty to 51 federal charges, receives sentence
On top of all that, he was indicted on additional charges in relation to other swattings, credit card fraud and bomb threat hoaxes he made to numerous schools and federal agencies, including the FBI offices.
The intended target of Barriss, 20-year-old Shane Gaskill, and the man who allegedly recruited Barriss, Casey Viner, were both charged as co-conspirators to the swatting.
A dispute during a Call of Duty: WWII match led to the death of an innocent man.Everything happened over a match of Call of Duty: WWII gone wrong
Gaskill goes to trial April 23 after having it delayed amid plea talks with prosecutors. Viner initially pled not guilty to the crime but has informed the court he intends to change the plea at a hearing scheduled for Wednesday, April 3.
All of this stems from Call of Duty WWII wager matches in which the two players had a dispute over a $1.50 bet.
Finch’s family has sued the city of Wichita and the officers involved, who have not been identified. Police said the officer who shot Finch thought he was reaching for a gun because he moved a hand toward his waistband. Prosecutors for the case did not file any charges on the officer.