A teenage Ohio gamer will spend time behind bars after a prank he organized over a $1.50 bet ended with the fatal shooting of a Kansas man by police.
Casey Viner, 19, was sentenced 15 months in prison on Friday for recruiting a prankster to make a fake emergency call to authorities because he was upset about a $1.50 bet while playing Call of Duty: WWII online. After serving his prison term, he will be placed on supervised release for two years, during which he will be restricted from gaming activity.
In April, Viner pleaded guilty to felony charges of conspiracy and obstruction of justice in hope of avoiding jail time, admitting he attempted to hide his involvement in the 2017 incident when he realized it resulted in someone’s death.
U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren, however, said prison time was necessary because “we impose sentences not only for what people intend, but what happened.”
Andrew Finch, 28, fell victim to “swatting,” in which someone reports a false emergency to convince authorities, typically a SWAT team, to visit the residence. According to police, Viner recruited Tyler R. Barriss to “swat” his online gaming opponent Shane Gaskill, 20, asking him to falsely report a shooting and kidnapping at Gaskill’s home.
However, the address they used was old, and police were therefore led to Finch’s residence. Finch, who was not involved in the gaming dispute, was fatally shot by police when he opened the door of his home. Police have said they believed he was reaching for a gun at the time, and the local district attorney declined to charge the officer involved.
Both Barriss and Gaskill, however, were charged in the incident. Barriss pleaded guilty to 51 counts for making fake emergency calls and threats around the country. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison in March, believed to be the longest sentence imposed for “swatting.”
Gaskill was charged as a co-conspirator after knowingly giving Barriss his former address and taunting him to “try something.” He has since struck a deal for deferred prosecution, which could lead to the charges against him being dropped. Additionally, Finch’s family has sued the city of Wichita and the officers involved in his death.
