California man charged in fatal ‘swatting’ to be sentenced

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A California man faces decades in prison when he’s sentenced for making hoax emergency calls, including one that led police to fatally shoot a Kansas man.

Tyler R. Barriss will be sentenced Friday in federal court in Wichita, Kansas. The 26-year-old California man has pleaded guilty to 51 charges related to fake calls and threats under an agreement calling for at least 20 years in prison. His case drew national attention to the practice of “swatting,” a form of retaliation in which gamers get police to go to an online opponent’s address.

One of Barriss’ calls led to the death of 28-year-old Andrew Finch, who not playing video games. Barriss’ call followed a dispute between two other people over a $1.50 bet in “Call of Duty: WWII.”