On the evening of December 28, 2017, Andrew Andy Finch, 28, was shot and killed on the front porch of his Wichita, Kansas, home after police responded to a false report. The call was part of a swatting episode stemming from an online argument between gamers over a match of Call of Duty: WWII. One player, Casey Viner, threatened to swat another player, Shane Gaskill. Gaskill gave Viner an old address where he no longer lived. Viner then enlisted Tyler Barriss, who made a hoax 911 call from Los Angeles claiming a violent scene at Finch’s residence. Wichita officers, believing the report, surrounded the house; when Finch stepped onto his porch he was shot by officer Justin Rapp and died.

Federal prosecutors later charged those involved: Barriss pleaded guilty to numerous counts including involuntary manslaughter and making a false report resulting in death; Viner pleaded guilty to conspiracy and obstruction; Gaskill pleaded guilty to wire fraud. The officer who fired the shot was not criminally charged. The case highlighted how a malicious hoax escalated into a lethal outcome. Does anyone have information about Finch’s last known movements at the house that night or about contacts who might have seen activity nearby?