Suspect in fatal Call of Duty ‘swatting’ incident charged with manslaughter

The suspect in the “swatting” incident that led to the shooting death of a Wichita, Kansas man has been charged with involuntary manslaughter, according to arrest records, via The Wichita Eagle.

Tyler Barriss, 25, was booked by Sedgwick County police on Thursday after being extradited from California. He was charged with involuntary manslaughter, giving false alarm and interference with a law enforcement officer. Barriss is being held on $500,000 bail.

According to Kansas law, involuntary manslaughter is described as the killing of a human being as a result of reckless behavior or in the commission of an unlawful act. As reported by Glixel, Barriss could face a maximum fine of $300,000 and up to 36 months in prison under the manslaughter charge.

Barriss was arrested on a fugitive warrant in late December by Los Angeles police. Police believe Barriss was responsible for making a hoax emergency call to Wichita, Kansas’ 911 dispatch, and reporting a fake homicide and hostage situation. Barriss provided a false address to police.

Wichita police responded to that call and confronted Andrew Finch, 28. Officers said Finch was ordered to raise his hands but moved them to his waist. Officers said they believed he was reaching for a weapon, and fired, killing him. Finch was not armed.

Barriss is accused of making the false report, which reportedly spawned from an argument after a wager-based game of Call of Duty: WWII. Finch appears to have no connection to the game or the dispute arising from it. Instead, one gamer is said to have provided two others with the Wichita address where Finch was killed.