The city of Wichita, Kansas, reached a $5 million settlement with the family of Andrew Finch, who was shot dead by police. (opens in new tab) Responding to swatting calls in 2017.
The incident stemmed from a dispute between two players in an online Call of Duty match, one of whom ended up getting involved in the service of the infamous swatter known as Swautistic. However, the target of the beating provided a false address, so the police ended up at Finch’s house. They surrounded the house, but when Finch stepped onto the porch to see what was going on, police officer Justin Rapp shot him dead almost immediately. and was unaware of police activity around his home.
No criminal charges were filed against Rupp in the incident, but the family unsurprisingly filed a lawsuit against the city in 2018. wichita eagle (opens in new tab), the city fought the family for five years in court by appealing and trying to get it thrown out. Wichita was eventually removed from the lawsuit, leaving Rupp as the sole defendant, but the city still bears Rupp’s legal costs.The settlement will cost Wichita his $2 million, and the rest covered by insurance.
After the council voted in favor of a settlement, a spokesperson for the Finch family said it was “difficult to say the least.” But finally today we are united as a community and we have done this.”
Wichita Mayor Brandon Whipple said, “As a community, I’m glad we found closure and did our part to bring closure to our families. “This is just a terrible situation.”
Swatting is when someone (usually a victim gamer) falsely reports a serious crime such as a murder or hostage-taking, prompting an armed response from the police against those who don’t know it’s coming. It is a “mischief” that causes.seriously dangerous (opens in new tab) For obvious reasons, some high-profile streamers have started alerting their local police departments to avoid becoming victims. (opens in new tab).
Finch hitter was eventually identified as then-25-year-old Tyler Barris and sentenced to 20 years in prison (opens in new tab) After pleading guilty to 51 counts related to fake phone calls and intimidation.Casey Viner, one of his two gamers involved in a dispute that led to swatting, was sentenced to 15 months in prison. (opens in new tab)Meanwhile, another man, Shane Gaskill, was given deferred prosecution.This basically meant that the charges against him would be dropped if certain conditions were met, such as paying $1,000 in damages or other penalties. KSN.com (opens in new tab) However, he reportedly violated the terms of his contract and was later sentenced to 18 months in prison.
After Finch was murdered by police, Kansas passed an “anti-swatting bill.” (opens in new tab)It ordered prison sentences from 10 to 41 years for those who made calls that resulted in death or serious injury.
Finch’s murder was the first fatal beating in the United States, but it’s not the only one. In 2020, 60-year-old Mark Herring suffered a fatal heart attack. (opens in new tab) Shortly after surrendering to the police who surrounded his house following a swatting call.
Rapp, the police officer who actually shot and killed Finch without warning, was never charged despite conclusively admitting that there was no gun in Finch’s hand before firing. In fact, since I was selected for the promotion for the screening.”lack of sound judgment (opens in new tab)Promoted to detective in 2020 and 2022.