A man was shot dead in Kansas this week after he fell victim to the prank known as “swatting,” where video gamers trick police into thinking a serious crime is happening in the home of their online rivals.
The Kansas police shot a man named Andrew Finch dead even though he had done nothing wrong. Someone had called the police posing as Finch, and claimed to have shot his father dead. The caller also claimed he was holding his younger brother, and mother, hostage.
“I shot him in the head and he’s not breathing anymore,” the caller told police. The caller went on to say that he was planning to burn the house down, according to the New York Daily News.
When officers arrived to Finch’s house, he came out to the front door. Police have claimed that Finch then reached for his waistband, and that they shot him because they thought he might be reaching for a gun.
As of Friday night, no arrests have been made. Nevertheless, police have placed the blame squarely at the feet of whoever orchestrated the hoax.
“Due to the actions of a prankster we have an innocent victim,” Wichita deputy police chief Troy Livingston said during a press conference Friday night.
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