Police have arrested a 25-year-old man in Los Angeles in connection with a "swatting" prank that left a 28-year-old Kansas man dead Thursday night, KWCH reports. Tyler Barriss, arrested Friday afternoon, is accused of making a false report to police. He was arrested two years ago in connection to a bomb threat to ABC Studios. On Thursday police turned up at a house in Wichita after getting a report of someone shooting their father in the head and holding their family hostage. In a recording of the 911 call, the caller says the man was also threatening to set the house on fire, KABC reports. The Wichita Police Department confirmed Friday the call was a swatting prank, in which someone calls in a false report to get a large police response to their victim's home.
In this case, the victim of the prank—reportedly a response to a $1.50 bet on the video game Call of Duty—provided a fake address that sent police to the home of Andrew Finch. Police say Finch at first followed directions to put his hands in the air when he opened the door. Deputy chief Troy Livingston says Finch then moved his hands toward his waistband, leading an officer to fatally shoot him. "Due to the actions of a prankster, we have an innocent victim," Livingston says. But Finch's mother, Lisa Finch, says blame also lies with police. "What gives the cops the right to open fire?" the AP quotes her as saying. "That cop murdered my son." Lisa Finch says police didn't give her son any warning before opening fire, and he was unarmed when he was shot. The FBI estimates there are about 400 cases of swatting a year. (More swatting stories.)
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