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Gamers Behind Fatal 'SWAT' Call Now Face Life In Prison (wlwt.com)

Posted by EditorDavid on from the game-over dept.

An anonymous reader writes: 18-year-old Casey Viner, who instigated the 911 call which led to a fatal shooting in Wichita (hiring Tyler Barriss to perform the actual call), is in big trouble. "If convicted on the 10 counts he faces, Viner could spend almost the rest of his life in prison and pay a $1,000,000 fine," reports a local Cincinnati news site. Ironically, Viner's father is a corporal with the county sheriff's department.

The 19-year-old intended target for the SWAT attack had supplied a real address in Wichita for a house where he used to live. But in an eerie coincidence, ten days before the fatal shooting in Wichita, Cincinnati police had responded to a similar SWAT call which had sent them to a house where Viner used to live. The local police said "the facts and circumstances and the verbiage were very, very similar."
25-year-old Tyler Barriss also faces a life sentence for false information which resulted in a death -- as well as several local charges. And Thursday a federal grand jury also indicted Barriss "for a threat that caused an evacuation of a high-profile FCC hearing" into net neutrality regulations just two weeks before the fatal Wichita shooting, "and another threat eight days later that targeted FBI headquarters."

Barriss's lawyer insists that his client wasn't responsible for the Wichita death, blaming instead a "gung-ho, crazy cop."

8 of 270 comments (clear)

  1. Great by burtosis · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Good, now we just need to do something about swat teams busting in and shooting up the place when no one is armed or dangerous.

    1. Re:Great by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      There was no busting in and shooting. They weren't even SWAT, just regular beat cops. They shot him on his porch from across the street from behind their patrol car.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0l6kwbglA4

    2. Re:Great by JaredOfEuropa · · Score: 5, Insightful

      That depends. Did the cop act on orders and according to procedure? Then you can't really fault him for acting the way he did. If he did violate procedures, then some punishment is definitely in order. In any case, it would be a good idea to review the applicable procedures.

      But all that doesn't get the caller or the one who hired him off the hook. It should be clear to both of them that SWATting is not a harmless prank but creates a volatile situation where death or serious harm are outcomes which are not at all unlikely. Since this case did result in a death, they deserve serious jail time.

      --
      If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
    3. Re: Great by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Nah. You're living in a fascist totalitarian police state. And the cops just imitate TV shows, where they are always righteous, and going "by the book" (aka not breaking the law, terrorizing, torturing and murdering) is uncool. Like Jack Bauer in 24. Or basically every other US police/TLA/military show.

    4. Re:Great by serviscope_minor · · Score: 5, Insightful

      That depends. Did the cop act on orders and according to procedure? Then you can't really fault him

      Yes you fucking can.

      "I vas just following orders" has not ever been an excuse. Likewise the whole "cops don't kill people people kill people" thing doesn't work because the cop can never be considered a mere tool with no agency. The cop is a person.

      But all that doesn't get the caller or the one who hired him off the hook.

      Agreed, the caller, knowing the possible outcome of his actions is equally guilts. That does not make the cop in question any less so. There is plenty of blame to go around.

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
  2. Why not both? by Vektuz · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Its quite possible for more than one person involved in the incident to have been in the wrong. All these articles are kind of strange as they try to spin it as "its either completely the cops fault or completely the SWATcaller's fault." It aint so.

    1. Re:Why not both? by gweihir · · Score: 5, Insightful

      First entirely sane posting, I think. The swatters did indeed try to inflict serious harm and accepted that there would be a killing. The cops did kill when there was zero need to and no good, solid evidence saying otherwise. I think a charge of voluntary manslaughter for both the shooter and the swatters would be pretty appropriate. The cops have to be held to a higher standard, of course, because they have training and special powers.

      --
      Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
  3. fair judgement by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Regardless of what changes need to be done on the law enforcement side, this is the correct punishment for the swatters. What they did was completely uncalled for and shows a complete disrespect for other people.

    What if some other location had a real threat, but the swat team was on a wild goose chase? As a result, someone who needed help did not get it?

    Actions have consequences. They were asshats and now will be behind bars. The world is better off.

    --XYZZY--