INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption
There have been a spate of incidents involving gamers that have led to prank
calls to the police
A California-based gamer faces up to 20 years in jail after admitting crimes including making a hoax
call to US police that resulted in them shooting an innocent man dead.Tyler Barriss made the call after becoming involved in a dispute with
other video gamers engaged in an online Call of Duty match.The 25-year-old had meant to direct the police to another player's home.But
instead he gave the address of the victim, a Kansas-based father-of-two.Barriss had originally claimed to be innocent but on Tuesday changed
his plea to guilty."Without ever stepping foot in Wichita, the defendant created a chaotic situation that quickly turned from dangerous to
deadly," US Attorney Stephen McAllister said in a statement."His reasons were trivial and his disregard for the safety of other people was
staggering."In addition, Barriss admitted to having made hoax bomb threats to the FBI, schools, universities, shopping malls and TV stations
among other crimes.As part of his plea agreement, he has agreed to contribute towards the victim Andrew Finch's funeral costs and to be
supervised for five years after his release from prison, according to local newspaper the Wichita Eagle.Prosecutors referred to the prank
call as being an example of "swatting" - an attempt to fool armed police or other emergency services into disturbing a target at their home
or other address.It gets its name from special weapons and tactics (Swat) police units in the US.Image copyrightReutersImage caption
Tyler Barriss pleaded guilty to a total of 51 charges
In this case, Barriss is alleged to have been asked by
discovering this, the intended target is said to have claimed he was living at an address he had in fact moved out of and went on to dare
Barriss to send the police there.Barriss did so by claiming that he lived at the property, had shot his father in the head and was holding
other family members hostage.He disguised his telephone number when doing so to make it appear to the Wichita Police Department that he
lived locally.Mr Finch knew nothing of this when police vehicles arrived at his home and he stepped out to see what was going on.The police
said he had then failed to comply with an order to keep his hands up in the air, leading to one officer shooting him with a rifle
The officer in question was cleared of wrongdoing earlier this year.Image copyrightActivisionImage caption
A row over a
Call of Duty WWII game is said to have provoked the swatting call
The other two gamers involved in the affair - Casey Viner,
18, from Ohio, and Shane Gaskill, 20, from Wichita - deny the charges against them and are awaiting trial.Barriss is set to be sentenced on
