‘Call Of Duty’ Swatting Suspect Charged With Involuntary Manslaughter Over Man’s Death By Police

The man accused of falsely calling the police to the home of 28-year old Kansas father Andrew Finch, which led to his death at the hands of police was charged in a Wichita court Friday. Tyler Barriss was extradited from Los Angeles and now faces an involuntary manslaughter charge along with charges for reporting a false alarm and interference with a law enforcement officer, per The Wichita Eagle.

Barriss’ bond was set at $500,000 and his next court appearance will not occur until later this month. He faces a maximum sentence of 36 months and a $300,000 fine. The investigation into the actions by the police that led to the shooting death of the unarmed Finch on December 28 is still being investigated. The Wichita Police have not released the names of any of the officers involved in the shooting and the officer who fired the shot was placed on administrative leave.

The swatting incident started when a Call of Duty player named “Baperizer” got into a feud with a fellow Call of Duty: WWII teammate after they lost a match and a $1.50 wager on the UMG Gaming website. The feud escalated when his teammate, “Miruchle,” doxxed “Baperizer.” “Miruchle” then gave his teammate a false address and dared him to do something. “Baperizer” gave the incorrect address to Barriss to “swat” his opponent in the feud.

The Wichita police were called by Barriss where he falsely claimed to have killed his father with a gun and was holding his mother and little brother hostage in a closet, according to the 911 call released by the Wichita police. The false address he gave the police was Finch’s home, who was not involved in the dispute in any way, and multiple officers deployed to the house expecting to encounter a hostile hostage situation.

Finch exited the home to see what was happening outside when he saw police lights. The Wichita police say he was commanded to keep his hands raised, but he reached towards his waistline multiple times. An officer from across the street fired a shot and killed Finch when he reportedly saw his hands go up suddenly.

Tyler Barriss makes his first court appearance via video from the Sedgwick County Jail. He's charged with involuntary manslaughter in swatting call that led to man's shooting death. pic.twitter.com/3xaarfk9wC

— Travis Heying (@travisheying) January 12, 2018

Barriss has a troubled history when it comes to calling in bomb threats and swatting. He admits to calling in a bomb threat to an MLG Call of Duty World League tournament in Dallas earlier this year that led to the evacuation of the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center. Additionally, the Los Angeles Times reports he was arrested in 2015 for calling in a bomb threat to the local ABC station in Glendale, Los Angeles. He was living in a transitional recovery center at the time of his arrest for the Wichita swatting incident.

This latest incident has also made Barriss a suspect in a December 22 swatting call made in Canada, according to the Calgary Herald. Fortunately, the incident ended peacefully despite more than 20 police cars surrounding an apartment call for half an hour. The victim of the call called 911 herself to let them know she believed herself to be a victim of a swatting call.