Swatter pleads guilty to 51 charges

Tyler Barriss, a serial swatter, pleads guilty to making numerous hoax calls and fabricating emergencies. One of these incidents ended an innocent’s life in Wichita last year.

Although swatting is extremely rare in Malaysia, common cases of it appear in other countries especially the US. Swatting is a crime which a party maliciously directs the police to a location, pretending that something very dangerous is occurring. The nature of the report usually cause the police to arrive fully ready for a gunfight or a war zone.

Tyler Barriss’ most infamous case was last year’s incident in Wichita. The incident began when two Call of Duty players, Casey Viner and Shane Gaskill, argued over a $1.50 bet. The argument prompted Viner to contact infamous swatter Barriss to swat Gaskill. Gaskill had earlier taunted Viner to swat him after placing an address on social media. The address was eventually found out to be a house that used to belong to Gaskill’s family.

This resulted the police to appear at the Wichita house where they confronted a new family that had moved in. Following the police appearance, a police officer shot one of the residents, Andrew Finch. He later admitted that he mistakenly thought Finch was reaching for a gun and fired without warning.

Currently, Barriss pleaded guilty to 51 charges and faced a minimum of 20 years in prison if the judge of the case accepted his plea deal. The charges included the Wichita incident and other hoax calls he made involving other establishments including the FBI and schools. Barriss will also face a manslaughter charge that may add another 11 years jail time. Viner and Gaskill also face a long list of charges.

Featured image from Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times via AP

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