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The man behind a Call of Duty "swatting" prank that killed an innocent bystander has been sentenced to 20 years in jail.
26-year-old Tyler Barriss was sentenced on Friday for making the hoax call to police that led to the accidental shooting death of Kansas resident Andrew Fitch back in Dec. 2017.
The incident is believed to be first time someone has been killed in a "swatting" prank, which involves tricking police into sending a SWAT team to a victim's house. For years, gamers and hackers have used the notorious tactic as a way to harass their enemies. But federal officials want today's sentencing to send a message that swatting will not be tolerated.
Kansas: Tyler R. Barriss is sentenced to 20 years in prison for his involvement in a hoax 911 call that sent a police team to a random man's home who was then shot and killed. https://t.co/sLc3iZAGOj pic.twitter.com/5jMREGUmUe — Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) March 29, 2019
"Swatting is no prank," said US attorney Stephen McAllister in a statement. "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."
The whole incident began over a $1.50 wager involving the game Call of Duty. Barriss, a serial swatter based in California, had been hired to pull the prank on a rival Call of Duty player. However, he was given the wrong address. As a result, local police ended up on the doorsteps to Andrew Fitch's home, and accidentally shot him, believing a hostage situation was taking place.
Barriss initially said he wasn't completely to blame for Fitch's death. He also appeared to show little remorse. "I don't really swat people. I just evacuate stuff," he said in an interview a day after the shooting occurred.
However, Barriss pleaded guilty last November to causing the deadly incident, and agreed to a 20 to 25 year sentence. He's also confessed to making bomb threat calls to high schools, universities and shopping malls.
Federal officials have also charged the two Call of Duty players who sparked the swatting. 19-year-old Casey Viner and 20-year-old Shane Gaskill are currently awaiting trial for charges related to the incident.