He made the fake call after getting into an argument with a gamer playing "Call of Duty"
A California man has been arrested after his “prank” 911 call led to the fatal shooting of a man earlier this week in Kansas.
Tyler Barriss, 25, allegedly used a tactic known as “swatting,” when someone makes a fake 911 call to prompt the SWAT team to go to a location, after he got into an argument with another gamer while playing “Call of Duty.”
During the Thursday 911 call, Barriss told police that his father had been shot in the head and he was holding his mother and sibling at gunpoint.
He also added that he might set his home on fire.
Barriss alleged he believed he gave police the address of the other gamer during the fake 911 call.
The Wichita address, however, was the home of 28-year-old Andrew Finch, who police said they do not believe was involved.
When officers arrived at Finch’s home, they reportedly instructed him to put his hands up. Police said Finch moved his hand toward his waistband and an officer fired a single shot at him.
Finch later died at the hospital.
“Due to the actions of a prankster we have an innocent victim," Wichita Deputy Police Chief Troy Livingston said during a press conference. "The incident was a nightmare for everyone involved, including the family and our police department.”
Finch’s mother told local media that he was not involved in the gaming community.
The officer who fired the shot, a seven-year veteran of the department, is on paid leave pending the investigation.
"As you can imagine, this investigation is dynamic and complex and there's a lot of information to go through," Livingston said.
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