Police kill Wichita man based on false report from gamer

On the night of December 28th, in Wichita, Kansas, a man by the name of Andrew Finch was shot and killed by local police in his home. This incident was the result of an online dispute between two Call of Duty players, with this man’s address given out falsey as someone else’s. The dispute between the players was over a $1.50 wager, of which they were on a team together in a competitive Call of Duty match. There was a false police report made of a hostage situation occurring at Finch’s address. This is known to most as “SWATTING”, which is defined as calling in a false police report to a location; typically it is something severe, to draw a heavy police force to the location. The police responded, and arrive at the home. When they arrived, they handled the situation as a serious case, and Finch was shot on site. He died later, at a local hospital.

Finding and releasing someone’s address online and swatting them, is something usually seen as some sort of practical joke. Sometimes, as in this case, it is meant as a way to get back at someone. In this instance, it went much farther and the consequences much more severe. Local police are currently still investigating the case, and where the call was originated from, and all parties involved. They have the 911 call made, and have received a heavy influx of social media users who captured the exchange before the suspected Twitter accounts were deleted.

This is saddening news to us here at CMG. We have always had a love for the Call of Duty community, our company has been and continues to be focused on our users. What happened yesterday was a hard blow to many members of the community. Our respect goes out to the family right now during this time. Below you will find links to articles about the shooting and situation leading up to it, as well as a GoFundMe page to support the family and assist in covering funeral expenses. It is our job, now more than ever, to come together as a community and show that we are all above this behavior.

Wichita Eagle article: http://www.kansas.com/news/local/crime/article192111974.html

911 Call Audio (Skip to 9 minutes): https://twitter.com/L7Mapped/status/946874963096608768

USA Today article: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/12/29/unarmed-man-killed-police-after-swatting-prank-kansas/991665001/

GoFundMe page: https://www.gofundme.com/funeral-expenses-for-andy-finch

Twitter thread: https://twitter.com/ZooMaa/status/946630570322354176

Drama Alert video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCHOI39nJPM