Police officers shot down and killed a father of two in Wichita, Kansas, after an emergency call that turned out to be a swatting prank.
The police killed the 28-year-old man Thursday around 6 p.m. local time after an anonymous caller had told a 911 dispatcher that the victim was involved in a shooting with hostages.
Due to the actions of a prankster, we have an innocent victim,
a police officer said after identifying the case as a ‘swatting’.
Swatting was first invented by the online gaming community and involves calling 911 to report a false crime which is so severe that requires multiple police officers and even SWAT team members to be deployed to an adversary’s home.
Swatting Prank Leads to the Death of Wichita Man
The victim’s family said the man was not armed at the moment of the attack. Andrew Finch, 28, leaves two sons behind. His mother said that she only managed to hear her son scream and then there was a gunshot. The grieving mother couldn’t help but wonder what gave the cops the right to open fire at an unarmed person. She wants to know why they didn’t give him any warning like they did with the rest of the family.
The police officer that killed Finch had served for seven years in law enforcement. He is now on paid administrative leave. The department has opened an investigation into the case.
The 911 operator said the prankster told him that he had mistakenly shot his father during a domestic fight. He added that the alleged victim was not breathing anymore. Seconds later he threatened to burn down the home and wanted to make sure that the dispatcher got the address right.
When the police arrived, Finch emerged from the house while cops were repeatedly telling him to put his hands up. They shot him down the moment they thought he was going to reach for a firearm. The rest of the family was handcuffed and taken for an interview to a nearby police station.
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