User:GhostRiver/wichita

Background

Swatting

Main article: Swatting

The term swatting refers to the practice of prank calling emergency phone numbers such as 9-1-1 and requesting support from law enforcement. It derives its name from the SWAT teams that respond to the supposed emergency. When law enforcement arrives, they do so under the impression that a serious crime has been committed, in turn frightening the target of the prank. Targets of swatting attacks are often livestreamers on platforms such as Twitch and YouTube, both because it is easier for swatters to find the address of a public figure and because the streamer's interaction with law enforcement will be broadcast live on the stream. Swatting has been difficult to prosecute in the United States, as its reputation as a harmless prank makes it difficult to prove that the perpetrator intended to cause harm. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) first coined the term in 2008, using examples that dated back to 2002.

In 2015, a swatting incident in Sentinel, Oklahoma, received national media attention. Sentinel resident James Holly called 9-1-1 with a fabricated bomb threat, identifying himself as another man, Dallas Horton. When law enforcement arrived at Horton's residence, he opened fire, injuring Sentinel Police Chief Louis Ross. No charges were filed against Horton, as authorities determined that he was unaware that local law enforcement had entered his residence when he opened fire. Holly confessed that he had fabricated the bomb threat because he was upset with Horton, and that he had taken measures to prevent the call from being traced back to him.

Involved parties

Casey Viner, an 18-year-old from North College Hill, Ohio, and Shane Gaskill, a 19-year-old from Wichita, Kansas, were fans of the popular video game Call of Duty: WWII. In online communities, Viner was known by the screen name "Baperizer", while Gaskill used the names "Miruhcle" and "7ALENT". On December 18, 2017, Viner had been involved in a swatting incident when someone hired Tyler Barriss to target what they believed was Viner's residence. Local law enforcement arrived at a former residence of Viner's, which had since been occupied by Kelly McKinley. Two days prior, a SWAT team had arrived at McKinley's home in response to another swatting call.

At the time of the incident, Barriss was a 25-year-old man living in a homeless shelter in Los Angeles, California. Operating under the screen name "SWAuTistic", Barriss had been the target of a swatting attack during a game of Halo in February 2015, at which point he became interested in the phenomenon. He particularly enjoyed calling in fabricated bomb threats to generate large building evacuations in the hope that they would appear on the news; shortly prior to the Wichita incident, Barriss had used one such threat to evacuate a Call of Duty League event in Dallas. He had served 16 months in jail for four fabricated bomb threats in the Los Angeles area in 2016: two against the KABC-TV television station and two against local schools. At the time of the incident, Berriss had been under investigation for a bomb threat against Arnold High School in Panama City Beach, Florida, and he had connections to approximately 30 other bomb threats. Five days before the Wichita shooting, Barriss had orchestrated a swatting attack against Lisa Vannatta, a Calgary-based Twitch livestreamer known as STPeach.

Swatting incident

Initial dispute

On the afternoon of December 28, 2017, Viner and Gaskill were assigned as teammates in an online Call of Duty: WWII match. Players competed in teams of four for small cash wagers. Viner's team lost the match and their $1.50 wager after Gaskill's character shot and killed Viner's in a friendly fire incident.