Police investigate whether false report that led to fatal shooting of Kansas man was a ‘swatting’ prank
December 30, 2017 by admin
Filed under Lingerie Events
Authorities are investigating whether a deadly police shooting in Wichita stemmed from someone making up a false report to get a SWAT team to descend on a home in a prank known as “swatting,” which is common in the online gaming industry
Deputy Police Chief Troy Livingston said the shooting happened Thursday while an officer was responding to a report that a father had been shot in the head and that the shooter was holding his mother, brother and sister hostage, the Wichita Eagle reported.
Livingston said a 28-year-old man was shot as he came to the front door, but that when officers got inside the house, they didn’t find anyone with gunshot wounds. The man died at a hospital.
Livingston didn’t say what caused the officer to shoot the man or whether the man was armed. Police don’t think the man fired at officers, but the incident is still under investigation, he said. Several people inside the home are being interviewed.
The man hasn’t been identified by police, but Madeline Finch identified the victim as her nephew, Andrew Finch. She said the family was “saddened” but declined to comment further.
Livingston said police are investigating whether the call that led to the shooting was a prank. Officer Paul Cruz told the Associated Press that more information would be released at a news conference set for 4 p.m. local time, and that he couldn’t comment further.
The officer who fired the shot — a seven-year veteran of the police department — will be placed on paid administrative leave, which is department policy, police said.
The FBI estimates that about 400 cases of swatting occur annually, with some using caller ID spoofing to disguise their number.
In January, three families in Florida had to evacuate their homes in Florida after a detective received an anonymous email claiming bombs had been placed at the address.
In 2015, police shot a 20-year-old Maryland man in the face with rubber bullets after a fake hostage situation was reported at his home.
Rep. Katherine Clark, a Massachusetts Democrat, introduced an anti-swatting bill in 2015 — then was herself a victim of swatting. Armed officers in 2016 responded to an anonymous call claiming an active shooter was at Clark’s home.
