A fake call placed to 911 by a California gamer has resulted in a Kansas father’s death, Wichita police say. A “swatting” call is one made to police usually to report fake crimes in progress in an effort to draw large numbers of law enforcement.
Tyler Raj Barriss, 25, was arrested Friday on suspicion of making a hoax phone call to police in Kansas, resulting in the death of Wichita father, Andrew Thomas Finch.
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(PICTURED: Andrew Thomas Finch)
Finch, 28, was shot and killed Thursday after opening his front door and “moving his hands to his waistline,” police said. Authorities were dispatched to the home after a call was placed to 911 claiming a shooting in progress involving hostages.
Barriss erroneously phoned 911 operators telling them that an argument with his mother had led to his father being accidentally shot. Barriss added the home was doused with “gasoline” and would “probably light it later” when “police arrive.” He also said a brother, sister and mother were being held hostage in the home.
“We learned through that call that the father was deceased, shot in the head. So that’s the information we were working off of,” Wichita police Deputy Chief Troy Livingston said. “Our officers came here preparing for a hostage situation. Several got in position. A male came to the front door, and one of our officers discharged his weapon.” source
Finch was unarmed and totally unaware of the unfounded call placed to 911 concerning his residence.
He was taken to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Three or four family members also inside the home were taken into custody to be interviewed. They were later released.
The original 911 call was deemed completely false.
Livingston called the shooting “tragic and senseless.”
“The irresponsible actions of a prankster put people’s lives at risk,” Livingston said Friday. “The incident is a nightmare for everyone involved, including the family and our police department.”
“Due to the actions of a prankster, we have an innocent victim. If the false police call had not been made, we would not have been there,” Livingston lamented.
Until now, “swatting” calls were usually perpetrated on the homes of celebrities. In 2013, a 12-year-old Southern California boy admitted to making swatting calls to the homes of Ashton Kutcher and Justin Bieber. Those calls resulted in no loss of life.