Man Killed During “Swatting” Incident Over Call of Duty Wager

On the evening of December 28, a $1.50 wager match in Call of Duty ends in shameful madness. Two teammates were arguing after losing the match and threatening to ‘swat’ each other. This ended with the death of an innocent man unrelated to the match whatsoever.

‘Swatting’ is a term used for a hoax where one calls the police, claiming that there is a situation taking place at an address. The artificial threat is usually claimed to be something that would otherwise be very serious, like a bomb threat or hostage situation. This ends with heavily armed personnel or a SWAT team, kicking in doors to deal with the assumed threat.

In this instance, the two Call of Duty players got into an argument over a minor loss of money, according to Dexerto. The wager was placed on the unaffiliated UMG wager platform. Because the teammates lost, they were arguing, presumedly, over whose fault it was. The wager was only $1.50. Regardless of the money, one of the players attempted to swat the other, but gave the wrong address to a nearby known swatter.

Wichita police responded to what they were told was a homicide and hostage situation at the incorrectly relayed address. A 28-year-old man answered the door. Given the context, an officer shot the man. He was taken to the hospital but was later pronounced dead.

KWCH reports the man who was shot was identified as Andrew Thomas Finch, his family identified. He was a resident of southwest Wichita. The case began at 6:18 PM. The next step for the two players has yet to be seen, but police are expected to investigate and prosecute them and others responsible.