A 20-year sentence was handed down today to a California man in a swatting case that resulted in a death in Wichita.
The man, Tyler Barriss, 26, of Los Angeles, California, made a hoax call to Wichita police that resulted in an innocent man being shot and killed by police, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister. The man had no connected to the defendant.
Barriss pleaded guilty to causing a deadly swatting incident in Wichita on Dec. 28, 2017, as well as dozens of similar crimes in which no one was injured. In those cases, Barriss pleaded guilty to charges filed in federal courts in California and the District of Columbia.
In the Wichita case, Barriss entered guilty pleas to one count of making a false report resulting in a death, one count of cyberstalking and one count of conspiracy. Barriss agreed to accept a sentence of 20-25 years as part of the plea. His counsel argued for the minimum 20, the government for the maximum 25, and the Court imposed a 20-year sentence, believed to be the longest sentence imposed for swatting or hoaxes.
“Swatting is no prank,” McAllister said. “Sending police and emergency responders rushing to anyone’s home based on utterly false information as some kind of joke shows an incredible disregard for the safety of other people.”
“I hope that this prosecution and lengthy sentence sends a strong message that will put an end to the juvenile and reckless practice of ‘swatting’ within the gaming community, as well as in any other context,” McAllister said. “Swatting is just a terrible idea. I also hope that today’s result helps bring some peace to the Finch family and some closure to the Wichita community,” McAllister said.