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from the yellow-stripe-down-the-back-of-the-uniform dept.
From the NY Daily News (and covered almost everywhere):
A Kansas man shot to death by police earlier this week was the victim of a misdirected online prank known as "swatting," according to social media chatter.
The victim, identified as Andrew Finch, was gunned down on Thursday night after cops responded to his Wichita home amid a false report that he had shot his father to death and was holding his mother, brother and sister hostage.
A responding officer fatally shot Finch, 28, when he came to the front door, Wichita deputy police chief Troy Livingston said during a press conference. Livingston declined to comment on what triggered the officer to open fire and would not say whether Finch was armed.
Police briefing (10m8s). Body camera footage (53s).
I'm speechless.
takyon: The swatting was quickly linked to a dispute between two Call of Duty players:
On Twitter, more than a dozen people who identified themselves as being in the gaming community told The Eagle that a feud between two Call of Duty players sparked one to initiate a "swatting" call. After news began to spread about what happened Thursday night, the people in the gaming community, through Twitter posts, pointed at two gamers.
"I DIDNT GET ANYONE KILLED BECAUSE I DIDNT DISCHARGE A WEAPON AND BEING A SWAT MEMBER ISNT MY PROFESSION," said one gamer, who others said made the swatting call. His account was suspended overnight.
According to posts on Twitter, two gamers were arguing when one threatened to target the other with a swatting call. The person who was the target of the swatting gave the other gamer a false address, which sent police to a nearby home instead of his own, according to Twitter posts. The person who was to be the target of the swatting sent a Tweet saying, "Someone tried to swat me and got an innocent man killed." [...] Dexerto, a online news service focused on gaming and the Call of Duty game, reported the argument began over a $1 or $2 wager over the game.
Update: 911 Call from suspect (4m58s).
Brian Krebs conversed with the apparent suspect over Twitter.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Saturday December 30 2017, @05:44AM (15 children)
I listened to the 10-minute police briefing. They said that the 911 call went to a "substation" which then relayed the info to the police.
The article I added mentions caller ID spoofing. You can also use software to make calls instead of phones, and do it over a VPN.
The problem is that it looks like these two gamers will be nabbed real quickly since they made very little effort to disguise their activities which seemed to have been streamed to others. If the gamer who gave the fake address gave one in close proximity to himself, he's getting cuffed. Maybe he won't get serious charges though.
This looks like it could be the first death linked to swatting despite years of the trend:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swatting#Injuries_or_deaths_due_to_swatting [wikipedia.org]
Looks like Krebs caught the scent and got plenty of evidence to put the other guy away:
https://www.engadget.com/2017/12/29/alleged-swatting-hoax-death-father-of-two/ [engadget.com]
Maybe he could have gotten away with it if he hadn't been so cocky. But now he is responsible for the first swatting death and every little online mistake he made has already been scrutinized.
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(Score: 5, Insightful) by Whoever on Saturday December 30 2017, @06:02AM (9 children)
And the person who actually pulled the trigger: the police officer who shot an unarmed man: where is any mention of his the police officer's?
For more outrage, how about this story:
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/texas-boy-age-6-killed-deputy-involved-shooting-days-christmas-n832166 [nbcnews.com]
Apparently, it's a tragic accident when LEO kill someone by shooting at (and missing) an unarmed person but manage to hit an uninvolved child. It's an accident in an incident where the sheriff's deputy should never have fired.
(Score: 3, Informative) by takyon on Saturday December 30 2017, @06:08AM (7 children)
If you look at the video of the shooting, all of the officers were pretty far away from the victim, and it was at night.
During the 10 minute press briefing there is a strong emphasis on how the victim put his arms in the air as demanded by the officers, but repeatedly brought them back towards his waistband. And this led to him getting shot. Maybe eyes are bad but I couldn't really see it that well in the body cam footage, even in slow-mo.
Some will excuse the police actions based on that alone. Never mind that people aren't trained dogs. They can be put in shock by these incidents and do or say the wrong stuff. Comply with an uninvited police officer or die.
The press briefing said that the officer was put on administrative leave (presumably paid) which is automatic following a shooting death.
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(Score: 5, Insightful) by hemocyanin on Saturday December 30 2017, @10:13AM (4 children)
Cops are liars and murderous pigs. Here's just one example -- seriously, if you aren't livid after watching this, you're fucked in the head: http://www.newser.com/story/252649/video-shows-cop-fatally-shooting-unarmed-man-in-hotel.html [newser.com]
It's gotten to the point that, like with violent gangbangers, when I hear about a cop getting killed, I think "Meh -- probably deserved it."
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 30 2017, @10:58AM
Not "Did the other cops shoot him in their haste to kill more victims?" ;)
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 30 2017, @11:03AM
I usually ask 'What dirty cop needed that honest one off of his ass?'
Sadly I don't think nearly enough corrupt cops die compared to the honest ones. Remember, cockroaches are hard to kill. Dutiful little ants on the other hand...
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 30 2017, @11:06AM
Oh my God. I can't even describe in words how that video just made me feel. The officer should be sentenced to death for what he did there. Poor boy was just pulling up his shorts for fuck sake, anybody who isn't amped up on hatred and adrenaline can see that!! I am seriously bothered by what I've just seen. Thank God in don't live in the USA. You people have put up with far, far, far, far too much police brutality. Unite yourselves as one and bring some order to your justice system!!
:`(
(Score: 2) by Whoever on Saturday December 30 2017, @04:56PM
It's just unbelievable that the police officer was acquitted.
I have come to believe that, in these cases, the jury was intimidated by other police. It seems to be the most likely explanation.
(Score: 2) by chromas on Sunday December 31 2017, @03:05PM (1 child)
Do police have binoculars?
(Score: 2) by takyon on Sunday December 31 2017, @04:14PM
Do they have gun sights?
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(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Saturday December 30 2017, @08:01PM
Throw them both in the same cell with one 2-foot length of galvanized pipe, IMO. This guy is shit and so is the cop.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Saturday December 30 2017, @06:25AM (2 children)
So he charged people money to make SWAT calls for them?
Isn't that incitement?
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 2) by takyon on Saturday December 30 2017, @06:28AM (1 child)
I have no idea. Whatever it is, it's not great, and since the FBI are probably going to be raiding this guy's house, there could be other people going down if the bragging about swatting/bomb threats for cash turns out to be true.
I remember that bomb threat that briefly interrupted the FCC net neutrality meeting. Did he really do it, or was he just bragging like an idiot on Twitter? I smell decades of prison time in this guy's future.
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(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Saturday December 30 2017, @06:55AM
reckless endangerment of his own future.
If he is responsible for the things he claims, then it is likely the punishment will not fit the crime(s).
Either a slap on the wrist (unlikely) or custodial, with a long non-parole period.
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 3, Informative) by EvilSS on Saturday December 30 2017, @03:52PM
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 31 2017, @12:40AM
>"The article I added mentions caller ID spoofing."
This is a fundamental problem. Caller ID spoofing should not be possible. It is only possible because our politicians are negligent and corrupt.