Unarmed man killed by police after ‘swatting’ prank in Kansas
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/12/29/unarmed-man-killed-police-after-swatting-prank-kansas/991665001/
An innocent man was shot and killed by police Thursday after a "swatting" prank led authorities to a home in Kansas, officials say.
A feud between two Call of Duty game players sparked the hoax call. However, the address given to police led them to the doorstep of 28-year-old Andrew Finch, who was not part of the online gaming community, police say.
"Due to the actions of a prankster, we have an innocent victim," Wichita police Deputy Chief Troy Livingston said during a press conference Friday.
Officers responded to a report of a gunman holding his mother, brother and sister hostage after shooting his father in the head Thursday night, Livingston said.
"That was the information we were working off of," he told the Wichita Eagle.
Livingston added that authorities "got into position" when they arrived at the home, ready for a hostage situation.
The 28-year-old, identified by his family as Andrew Finch, went to the door to see what was going on, the Eagle reported.
"As he came to the door, one of our officers discharged his weapon," Livingston said.
Officers had instructed Finch to put his hands up, but he lowered them several times, Livingston said. One officer then took a shot because he "feared for officer's safety," Livingston said.
The father of two was taken to a hospital. He later died.
Police said he was unarmed.
A frame grab from the Wichita Police Department's release Friday, Dec. 29, 2017, of some body cam footage of the fatal shooting of Andrew Finch, 29, by a Wichita police officer Thursday night. Online gamers have said in multiple Twitter posts that the shooting of a man Thursday night by Wichita police was the result of a "swatting" hoax involving two gamers. (Photo: Fernando Salazar, AP)
Officers soon learned that no one in the house had a gunshot wound and that there wasn’t a hostage situation.
"What gives the cops the right to open fire?" Finch's mother asked the Wichita Eagle. “Why didn’t they give him the same warning they gave us? That cop murdered my son over a false report.”
More than a dozen gamers told the Eagle that a feud between two Call of Duty players sparked the swatting call.
The gamers were arguing when one threatened to target the other. The intended target gave the other gamer a "fake" address, according to Twitter posts.
"We believe this case is an act of swatting," Livingston confirmed Friday.
Several social media users placed blame on one gamer, who tweeted about the incident.
"I DIDNT GET ANYONE KILLED BECAUSE I DIDNT DISCHARGE A WEAPON AND BEING A SWAT MEMBER ISNT MY PROFESSION," the gamer tweeted. The account was suspended overnight.
Finch's family believes whoever made the call should be held accountable.
"The person who made the phone call took my nephew, her son, two kids’ father," the victim’s aunt, Lorrie Hernandez-Caballero told the Wichita Eagle. "How does it feel to be a murderer? I can’t believe people do this on purpose."
Swatting is a prank where someone calls authorities to report a fake emergency — often a hostage situation or active shooter — with the intent of drawing a "SWAT team" response to a location.
The dangerous prank has become popular nationwide among gamers, who use caller ID spoofing or other techniques to disguise their phone numbers, according to 911.gov.
"Without that false phone call we wouldn't have been there," Livingston said.
The officer who shot and killed Finch was identified as a veteran of more than 7 years with the police department. He was be placed on administrative paid leave pending investigation.
No arrests have been made so far.