Swatter Sentenced to 20 Years For Hoax That Caused Fatal Shooting

Tyler Barriss, the serial swatter whose hoax phone call led to the death of Wichita resident Andrew Finch in 2017, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in the killing.

On December 28, 2017, two men — Casey Viner and Shane Gaskill — got into an argument over a Call of Duty match and a lost $1.50 wager. Viner threated on Twitter to swat Gaskill over the loss. “Swatting” someone involves calling the police and making a false report of an ongoing hostage crisis or similar situation at a local residence. Police officers then respond to what they believe is an unfolding crisis with armed perpetrators, only to find bewildered residents and no actual emergency.

Viner provided Gaskill with an address believed to be a place he’d previously lived and taunted him to do something about it. Gaskill, in turn, got in touch with Barriss. Andrew Finch — the man who actually got murdered — wasn’t even a gamer and had no known connection to any of the three men. Barriss claimed to be a resident of 1033 West McCormick Street and that he’d fatally killed his own father. He had supposedly already poured gasoline all over the house and was prepared to set it on fire. Finch was shot when officers showed up and he opened the door, believing he had heard something.

Barriss himself showed little guilt or remorse for his own actions. “I love swatting kids who think that nothing’s going to happen,” he said in an interview posted to YouTube after Finch’s death.

He also tweeted this:

On April 6, 2018, when he briefly gained access to the internet while incarcerated for Finch’s death, he actually tweeted about swatting people once again:

All right, now who was talking shit? >:)

Your ass is about to get swatted

— Infamy the Lord (@GoredTutor36) April 6, 2018

Barriss has acknowledged being responsible for dozens of swatting calls over the past few years. He showed more remorse at his sentencing on Friday than he has in the past, telling the court: “If I could take it back, I would, but there is nothing I can do. I am so sorry for that.”

Both Viner and Gaskill have also been charged as co-conspirators. Both pled not guilty, but Viner has told the court he intends to change his plea at a hearing next Wednesday. Gaskill’s trial is scheduled for April 23.

Given Barriss’ significant involvement in the swatting scene, putting him behind bars has hopefully led to its own drop in swat calls. Failing that, hopefully, some of the people who think of this behavior as a harmless prank will realize the consequences are entirely in-line with the actual risk.