"Swatting" prank may have led to death of a man

That was some seriously great police work, they went to the wrong address and shot the guy dead, those guys deserve a raise.....

Swatting is obviously a dangerous thing to do and should be punished accordingly, but I can't get past the swat teams role in this mess .

a reply to: hopenotfeariswhatweneed

They went to the address they got called to. The guy that was supposed to be swatted had posted an address that wasn't his own and dared somebody to swat him.

this is just crazy #.
the internet has created some seriously stupid #.

seems way more than a prank call type situation to me.

to be clear though this is either a misdemeanor and carries a year or some # or it is not their fault at all the widdle babies.

but a 14 year old girls faces felony porn charges and 10 years for sending a naked pic of herself?

www.abovetopsecret.com...

am i living in bizarro world?

people in that thread saying charge the parents.

Dexerto, a online news service focused on gaming and the Call of Duty game, reported the argument began over a $1 or $2 wager over the game.

were these #in assholes under 18?

unreal man

a reply to: Shamrock6

I may have missed that little detail, so thanks for that. I was under the impression that these swatters use an IP address to find the actual street address.

From the OP’s link, in the 2nd video on the page, at 3:37 of the video, with Deputy Police Chief Troy Livingston, he begins the brief timeline of what the unknown caller was telling them.

The caller built up a dangerous scenario and then at 6:25pm, he stated he was pointing the gun at his mom and his brother. And wasn’t going to put the gun away.

After hearing that brief timeline, in my mind, that registers as the caller being unstable, armed and a danger to others, as well as to himself. Couple the timeline information with, at the house, the unknowing suspect being told to keep his hands up, but lowered his hands to his waist and then raised them forward (bodycam video), I can see how it would look like he had drawn a firearm and was pointing it with a possible intent to fire.

Although it is sad the victim (of the swatting) was killed, I don’t blame the police for shooting the suspect that they were told was: armed, had already shot & killed a person, was threatening more murder, arson and suicide.

The way I see it is this:
If the scenario was with a dangerous & armed suspect that was hiding a firearm in his waist-area and an officer didn’t shoot, then how many people (LE and non-LE) could that suspect harm or kill? The officer wasn’t trigger happy, etc.; he had to make a decision to save lives, given the information they were told.

Hearing what the caller said to the police, I feel the caller should be charged as a criminal.

In direct message conversations with KrebsOnSecurity, the person running @GoredTutor36 said that they had remorse over Finch's death but that they would not be turning themselves in. "People will eventually (most likely those who know me) tell me to turn myself in or something. I can't do that; though I know its [sic] morally right. I'm too scared admittedly," they wrote. They also said, "Bomb threats are more fun and cooler than swats in my opinion and I should have just stuck to that. But I began making $ doing some swat requests." The person also noted that the thrill of such hoaxes "comes from having to hide from police via net connections.

Yahoo

If true this punk needs a long trip up the river.

a reply to: Irishhaf

Based on what is in that quote, that person and associates should fit the description of a criminal conspiracy. I would hope some group has a "talk" with them.

how did the gamer have the other ones address? or how do they get the gamers addresses?

This really concerns me. I thought you were anon on gaming platforms

a reply to: Jusvistn


Apparently someone posted an address and said I dare you to swat me, and the idiot obliged with the unfortunate response.

a reply to: Jusvistn

The address given out by the game was bogus.

The person who was killed had absolutely no connection at all to the ones doing the swatting.

They could have just as easily given out your or my address.

WOW! People are NUTS!

how is it not a serious crime to file a false report? Wouldn't this type of thing qualify as filing a false report?

a reply to: Grambler

Thats something thats gone far to far. Really all sounds a bit brutal. Poor man. Police over the water do seem very heavy handed.

a reply to: muzzleflash

Prankster can get put in front of a wall and a last cigarette as far as I'm concerned..I don't give 2 squirts if by swatting they never intended murder, it is a very distinct possibility in this day and age.
And unless the innocent victim came to the door with a gun..the police should pay a heavy price as well.

originally posted by: purplemer
a reply to: Grambler

Thats something thats gone far to far. Really all sounds a bit brutal. Poor man. Police over the water do seem very heavy handed.

The SWAT were more aggressive in resolving this issue due to the caller intimating that their were still living hostages at risk in the home. If the caller did not set the staging as he did, this man would still be alive.

I recall an other story, the swat in the county next to me moved in on a man holed up in his house with guns and a possible bomb. He had threatened to kill a county official and shot at the initial investigators who came to inquire about the threat.

Since he was in the home alone, they simply waited for him to give up. It was over 16 hours and he surrendered. He is alive.

This case, is extreme simply due to the absolute lies that the police were given. That person should be criminally charged! I would not Pre-judge the swat team as acting extreme. It was an extreme situation and they actually were trying to save perceived innocent lives as their duty warranted.

News Report:


Body Cam Footage:


Rep. Katherine Clark Submits H.R.3067, Online Safety Modernization Act of 2017:

TITLE II—Interstate Swatting Hoax

SEC. 201. False communications to cause an emergency response.

(a) In general.—Chapter 47 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section:

Ҥ 1041. False communications to cause an emergency response

“(a) Criminal violation.—Whoever, in the absence of circumstances reasonably requiring an emergency response, uses the mail or any facility or means of interstate or foreign commerce to knowingly transmit false or misleading information that would reasonably be expected to cause an emergency response, shall—

“(1) if an emergency response results, be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both;

“(2) if serious bodily injury (as defined in section 1365) results, be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both;

“(3) if death results, be fined under this title or imprisoned for any number of years or for life, or both; and

“(4) in any other case, be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 1 year, or both.

“(b) Civil action.—

“(1) IN GENERAL.—Any party incurring damages incident to an offense under this section may bring a civil action against the perpetrator in an appropriate district court of the United States and may recover damages and any other appropriate relief, including reasonable attorney’s fees.

“(2) JOINT AND SEVERAL LIABILITY.—An individual who is found liable under this subsection shall be jointly and severally liable with each other person, if any, who is found liable under this subsection for damages arising from the same violation of this section.

“(3) STAY PENDING CRIMINAL ACTION.—

“(A) Any civil action filed under this subsection shall be stayed during the pendency of any criminal action arising out of the same occurrence in which the claimant is the victim.

“(B) In this subsection, the term ‘criminal action’ includes an investigation and prosecution that is pending, until final adjudication in the trial court.

“(c) Reimbursement.—

“(1) IN GENERAL.—The court, in imposing a sentence on a defendant convicted of an offense under subsection (a), shall order the defendant to reimburse any party, any State or local government, or any private not-for-profit organization that provides fire or rescue service incurring expenses incident to any emergency response necessitated by such offense.

“(2) LIABILITY.—A person ordered to make reimbursement under this subsection shall be jointly and severally liable for such expenses with each other person, if any, who is ordered to make reimbursement under this subsection for the same expenses.

“(3) CIVIL JUDGMENT.—An order of reimbursement under this subsection shall, for the purposes of enforcement, be treated as a civil judgment.

“(d) Definitions.—In this section:

“(1) EMERGENCY RESPONSE.—The term ‘emergency response’ means any deployment of personnel or equipment, order or advice to evacuate, or issuance of a warning to the public or a threatened person, organization, or establishment, by an agency of the United States or a State charged with public safety functions, including any agency charged with detecting, preventing, or investigating crimes or with fire or rescue functions, or by a private not-for-profit organization that provides fire or rescue service.

“(2) STATE.—The term ‘State’ means each of the several States, the District of Columbia, each commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United States, and each federally recognized Indian tribe.”.

(b) Technical amendment.—The table of sections for chapter 47 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new item:

“1041. False communications to cause an emergency response.”.

I have to look at the rest of the bill, but so far, this part reads acceptable to me.

originally posted by: muzzleflash
I don't think he's responsible for the police killing anyone, that's their responsibility.

Prank 911 calls are generally 30 days in jail. Maybe 90 days in some jurisdictions.

He should face his misdemeanor but it's in no way his fault if the cops decide to murder people in cold blood.

Agree 100%!


Why is everyone surprised at kids doing stupid # but the cops have ZERO culpability in MURDERING a man?

Phuk this whole story because it's framed to protect the police.

a reply to: CynConcepts

So, imagine this..cops shoot one of the living hostages ..in this imaginary scenario, like I commented..unless the victim had a gun/weapon, the police should be in a whole lot of trouble..they get no free pass from me.

originally posted by: vonclod
a reply to: CynConcepts

So, imagine this..cops shoot one of the living hostages ..in this imaginary scenario, like I commented..unless the victim had a gun/weapon, the police should be in a whole lot of trouble..they get no free pass from me.

I agree, this should be investigated. I just disagree with those who are believing that the accuser should simply get a slap on the wrist for 'swatting' prank! This is an unfortunate incident, but is not a normal situation.

originally posted by: tigertatzen

originally posted by: Subaeruginosa
a reply to: worldstarcountry

Prove what statement exactly?

If you get jail time here (or in most countries I'm aware of), then its because you've done something which is considered by the courts to be a very serious offence, rather than a "misdemeanor".

Its just basic common knowledge.

People serve jail time everywhere in America for misdemeanor crimes. It happens every single day. Perhaps you're confusing jail time with prison time.

They will most definitely send misdemeanor offenders to jail, and sometimes for months at a time depending on the charge.

Actually - jail time versus probation . That would make the statement correct as posted.

a reply to: CynConcepts

I agree, no slap on the wrist for the prankster..dammit, using the word prank just does not seem appropriate in this sad event.