‘Swatting’ suspect linked to similar hoax in Canada

A woman in Calgary was targeted by Tyler Barriss “because of her online persona,” cops said in a press release

January 10, 2018 05:45 PM

Tyler Barriss appears for an extradition hearing at Los Angeles Superior Court.

By David Boroff
New York Daily News

LOS ANGELES — A California man accused in the fatal “swatting” case in Kansas has now been charged for a similar hoax in Canada.

A woman in Calgary was targeted by Tyler Barriss on Dec. 22 “because of her online persona,” cops said in a press release on Tuesday.

On that day 911 operators in Calgary received a call from a man claiming he had shot his father and claiming he was holding his mother and brother hostage. The caller led authorities to believe that all this was taking place at the victim’s address.

The woman came out of her home and officers determined that the initial report of a shooting and hostage situation were false.

“We have to take these calls seriously and we have to take them at face value based on the information that we receive,” Acting Duty Insp. Peter Siegenthaler told CBC News.

Investigators in Calgary were able to identify the suspect, who had made contact online with the victim earlier in the day. A warrant was issued for the arrest of Barriss, who was charged with public mischief.

“We take swatting events extremely seriously and will investigate each incident thoroughly,” Calgary cops said. “Swatting calls have the potential to create significant risks for both public and officer safety and can require an extensive amount of resources to respond and investigate.”

Barriss has been linked to other “swatting” incidents, including causing the death of an unarmed man in Kansas. Andrew Finch was shot by cops on Dec. 28 in Wichita after the prankster called 911 with a story about a shooting and kidnapping at Finch’s Wichita home.

The deadly “swatting” was sparked by an argument that involved the online “Call of Duty World War II” game, law enforcement sources told the Los Angeles Times. Sources told the newspaper that neither Barriss nor Finch were part of the gaming duel.

Barriss, a Los Angeles resident, said last week that he would not fight his extradition to Wichita.

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