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Two weeks ago, Tyler Barriss was arrested for his hand in a swatting incident that led to the death of innocent father-of-two, Andrew Finch. Now, Barriss has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and could face years in prison.
Extradited from California to Kansas, Barriss faced his first bout in court last Friday, resulting in charges of involuntary manslaughter, giving false alarm and interference with a law enforcement officer. Currently, he is held on a bail of $500,000, a much larger amount than the alleged $1.50 origin that caused the entire mess.
Barriss, who is believed to don the online moniker of SWAuTistic, was in a feud with two other Call of Duty: WWII players over a small bet that resulted in another member of the fight enticing Barriss with a false address. SWAuTistic, as per his name, is known for swatting other online gamers, which led to the incident of Finch’s death.
“I heard my son scream, I got up, and then I heard a shot,” said Lisa Finch, victim Andrew Finch’s mother in an interview with the Wichita Eagle. “They call it swatting. I didn't even know it was a thing.”
Involuntary manslaughter is described as causing the death of a human with reckless actions or utilising an unlawful act. This could result in Barriss facing a fine of up to $300,000 and a maximum sentence of 36 months (3 years) in prison.
He is the only one of the three people known to be involved to have been under consideration for punishment.
KitGuru Says: Personally, I feel the person that gave the fake address and the person that facilitated the call are just as guilty as the person who made the call, but that might be a harsher view than others would take. Either way, do you think the maximum punishments fit the crime?
Maybe that will stop kids from playing around with swatting . It’s a shame that this one resulted in death 🙁
I like it when people who are emboldened & empowered by their online/ingame personas are chopped down to the level of culpability. The fact that his “name” is a reminder of his awareness of his actions. Considering the state of security these days law enforcement agencies are on high alert with all the violence perpetuated by either groups or individuals/lone wolves, & won’t be caught twiddling their thumbs when a suspected “swatting” is actually a legit call.
I’m not entirely sure though if the “transaction” happened outside of the gaming forums, or that they did that whole thing in in-game chat. Banning users sharing addresses, personal info, phone numbers, etc. should be mandatory, as you can do that in outside correspondence (although knowing based on their patterned behaviour, they’ll be using fake contacts & addresses)
Seriously, what happened to the days when you just met with the guy you’re pissed off with & settle it there & then? The global reach of the internet is both wonderful & terrifying.
I BELIEVE IT WAS A TRIGGER HAPPY COP WHO ACTUALLY PULLED THE TRIGGER.
LEFT OUT OF MOST STORIES.
Hey man, your caps lock seems to be broken. Might wanna look into that.
Maybe he had that one addiction that the World Health Organization recognized.
Three years? Are you kidding me?
He’ll get out and do it again.