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WICHITA, Kansas (AP) — A Wichita man was sentenced to 18 months in prison on Monday for being involved in a hoax call that led to police shooting an innocent man dead in 2017.
Shane Gaskill found guilty of KSN wire fraud after pleading guilty in May report. He originally with suspended sentence However, he faced re-indictment after violating his probation terms.
Prosecutors said Gaskill got into an altercation with Ohio gamer Casey Viner in December 2017 over a $1.50 bet. Using the old Wichita address Gaskill had given him, Viner persuaded Tyler Barris in Los Angeles to call the Wichita police and tell them that a kidnapping and shooting had taken place at that address.
This is called “swatting” and is a form of retaliation where someone makes a false report to the police and sends first responders, including the SWAT team, to someone’s address.
Twenty-eight-year-old Andrew Finch, who lived at that address, shot dead by police After he opened the front door to see what was going on outside.
Barris was subsequently sentenced to 20 years in prison. plead guilty to a count of 51 making fake emergency calls and threats across the country, including the one that led to Finch’s death.
Viner served 15 months In prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy and obstruction of justice.
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