A case after the death of an innocent victim as a result of a Call of Duty swatting effort has finally been resolved, and the family of the dead has been given a multi-million payment. The settlement, which was reached five years after the incident, provided some closure for the swatting victim’s surviving family members.
Throughout the years, swatting has grown to be a significant issue in gaming, yet occasionally it can affect players who are not affiliated with the game in question. Swatting is when a target of an agitator attempts to have their home stormed by filing a bogus police report. Over the years, there have been numerous instances of this specific type of internet retaliation, some of which have even been webcast.
The swatting attack that occurred in 2017 resulted in a settlement being given to Andrew Finch’s family. With the exception of Justin Rapp, the police officer who fired the fatal shot, those responsible for the attack were tried and found criminally responsible for a number of offences. The family first intended to sue Wichita for its role in the murder, but after several years of appeals, the action was scaled back to just asking Justin Rapp for compensation. The Finch family received $5 million as part of the settlement that was eventually finalised after all this time.
The incident made significant news at the time and demonstrated how dangerous this online trend can be as it was the first known death in a swatting attack. The online incident that started all of this was completely cut off from the victim, Andrew Finch. Casey Viner and Shane Gaskill got into a simple argument in Call of Duty: WW2 that became deadly. Gaskill offered an address where he had formerly lived, effectively daring Viner to act as he threatened to swat him. The Finch family’s address was the one that was disclosed. Casey Viner contacted Tyler R. Barriss, a third party, who made a call to the Wichita police, resulting in the home being surrounded by officers. Andrew Finch was shot as he left the house to investigate what was happening, and less than 30 minutes later, he was declared dead. Swatting has been repeatedly denounced as heinous conduct that endangers people’s lives for silly reasons. Since Andrew Finch died, a law in Kansas has been established making swatting a class-one felony. However, swatting still happens rather frequently, and even grandparents can become involved in an attack even if they have no connection to the swatter or their intended target.
