Arrests made in "swatting" murder of Witchita man

[Takket]

https://boingboing.net/2017/12/30/murder-by-cop.html

Swatting is the practice of tricking police SWAT teams into storming your victim's home by phoning in fake hostage situations; it's especially prominent among cybercriminals, gamers and was a favored tactic of Gamergater trolls.

Last night, Andrew Finch, a 28 year old man in Wichita, was shot dead by police after they received a false call about a home invasion, a call that appears to have originated with Tyler Raj Barriss, a 25-year-old Los Angeles man whose gamer handle was "SWAuTistic," and who was later arrested by LAPD on a fugitive warrant stemming from bomb threats he phoned in to ABC7, an LA police station. Barriss has a long history of swatting and threats to swat.

The swatting seems to have been the result of a disagreement among two Call of Duty teammates after a loss in an online match that had a $1.50 wager riding on it. One player, "Miruhcle," dared another, "Baperizer," to swat him, and provided Finch's Wichita address. Baperizer appears to have contracted with Barriss/SWAuTistic to send the swat team in, an action that resulted in the Finch's death. Finch's mother says he was not a gamer.

After the death, Barriss seemed to admit to his role in calling in the swat team, tweeting "I DIDNT GET ANYONE KILLED BECAUSE I DIDNT DISCHARGE A WEAPON AND BEING ASWAT MEMBER ISNT MY PROFESSION."

~snip~

so.... let's get one thing clear.......... everyone involved in the "swatting" is a murderer and should be locked up.

But one thing perplexes me... since this was a false report, sent to the address of an innocent man, how did things at the Finch home become so out of hand that a cop "feared for his life" to the point of shooting and killing an innocent person?

[underpants]

1. A buck and a half? Well when you spend time playing a killing game...

Gamers are weirdos.

[Sneederbunk]

2. And throw away the key.

[lapucelle]

3. I think this link might be helpful.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/la-man-arrested-swatting-incident-led-police-killing/story?id=52057251

[mnhtnbb]

4. I don't believe the story from the Wichita police. Not for one second.

Who in his right mind puts his hands down to his waist --several times--when SWAT has their guns focused on you?

[Igel]

5. Think about what we don't know.

And what the people there didn't know.

It was a false report.

If the police knew this, why go there? If they didn't know that, they believed it was a true report. Perceptions and beliefs aren't reality, but we often act as though they are, and in that way have a decided influence on reality.

That said, if I went outside and saw a lot of police cars with flashing lights and such, I'm not sure what I'd do. I tend to think that if I'm told to do something, I'd do it. But I know a lot of people who comply with instructions for a few seconds and figure that if they aren't told over and over that the guy giving instructions doesn't really mean it. Or you comply and think, "There, I've complied, now I'm free to do what I want." Perhaps they have the memory of a memory-impaired piece of gravel; perhaps they figure that they have something better to do or know better. Perhaps they're distracted by having a thought or being able to say something. Perhaps something else. All I know is that "put your hands up and keep them up" is taken to have an applicability period of perhaps 3, 4 seconds for some people. "You didn't say you wanted us to keep keeping them up." Argh.

Cops say to put your hands up when they're holding guns aimed at you, you put them up, then raise them a bit farther just in case. And you put them down only after they say, "Okay, put them down" and you ask for confirmation and get it: "You said I could put them down?" followed by "Yes, you can put them down."

I deal with too many people to not think that there's a certain percentage of people who would behave exactly as the guy who was killed did.

[PasadenaTrudy]

6. Somebody not in their right mind? n/t

[mercuryblues]

10. Someone minding there own

business in the privacy of their home, who then get shocked by a swarm of police pointing guns at them. They are confused by what is going on around them. It takes a while for the brain to fully comprehend what is going on. Unfortunately while they are trying to access the situation the cops are locked and loaded. Waiting for 1 false move. A move that someone innocent, shocked and confused makes subconsciously.

One second watching Tv the next surrounded by cops and guns.

[Initech]

7. WTF is wrong with some people?

This is not only a murder it's wasting the police's time.

[Kirk Lover]

8. Shoot first ask questions later.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

9. Someone tried "swatting" our office a few years ago

Fortunately the dispatcher was skeptical because the caller said a few things that didn't make geographic sense.

[Anny61]

11. so out of hand that a cop "feared for his life" to the point of shooting and killing

I agree. I would like to know the answer myself.

[demtenjeep]

12. this is my home town. Happened Thursday PM. I posted about it

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100210037448

The guy shot Andrew Finch was not a gamer and did not have weapons in his home.

police were given info such as he shot his father and was holding his mom and siblings in a closet. Another bit was that he had poured gasoline all over his one story home and was about to light a match.

It was a two story home that was surrounded and Finch was shot.

Then police led the family out in freezing weather stepping over the dead body. The family had no shoes on, an ambulance was not immediately called. They took the screen door of the family.

There are a LOT of inconsistencies.

[Crunchy Frog]

15. We're basically dealing with the Gestapo at this point.

[Kimchijeon]

13. Scary to realize how easy it is for online wackos to do this

Never underestimate the cruelty of humans, I guess. 💔

[ProudLib72]

14. So this asshole Barriss served a two year sentence for the same thing?

He got out earlier this year and immediately did it again? WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE????