Awful: SWATting Finally Kills Someone
SWATting is a dangerous hoax in which someone calls the police and falsely reports that a shooting has happened at a particular address. When police show up at the address, the person who answers the door has no idea what is going on — and is suddenly facing police officers who think the homeowner is armed and dangerous. It’s been going on for years, and has always been a recipe for getting someone killed. And now, that has apparently happened:
Online gamers have said in multiple Twitter posts that the shooting of a man Thursday night by Wichita police was the result of a “swatting” hoax involving two gamers.
. . . .
Deputy Wichita Police Chief Troy Livingston said Thursday night that police were looking into whether the call that led to the shooting was a case of swatting.
Livingston said the department received a call that someone had an argument with their mother, that the father had been shot in the head and the shooter was holding his mother, brother and sister hostage.
“That was the information we were working east inflatables reviews off of,” he said.
Officers went to the 1000 block of McCormick, preparing for a hostage situation and they “got into position,” he said.
“A male came to the front door,” Livingston said. “As he came to the front door, one of our officers discharged his weapon.”
Livingston didn’t say if the man, who was 28, had a weapon when he came to the door, or what caused the officer to shoot the man. Police don’t think the man fired at officers, but the incident is still under investigation, he said. The man, who has not been identified by police, died at a local hospital.
I have been in that situation — although, thank God, I was not shot when it happened to me. On July 1, 2011, I was SWATted at my home in California, after receiving an email threat a week earlier. I fully described the incident in this post:
At 12:35 a.m. on July 1, 2011, sheriff’s deputies pounded on my front door and rang my doorbell. They shouted for me to open the door and come out with my hands up.
When I opened the door, deputies pointed guns at me and ordered me to put my hands in the air. I had a cell phone in my hand. Fortunately, they did not mistake it for a gun.
They ordered me to turn around and put my hands behind my back. They handcuffed me. They shouted questions at me: IS THERE ANYONE ELSE IN THE HOUSE? and WHERE ARE THEY? and ARE THEY ALIVE?
I told them: Yes, my wife and my children are in the house. They’re upstairs in their bedrooms, sleeping. Of course they’re alive.
Deputies led me down the street to a patrol car parked about 2-3 houses away. At least one neighbor was watching out of her window as I was placed, handcuffed, in the back of the patrol car. I saw numerous patrol cars on my quiet street. There was a police helicopter flying overhead, shining a spotlight down on us as I walked towards the patrol car. Several neighbors later told us the helicopter woke them up. I saw a fire engine and an ambulance. A neighbor later told me they had a HazMat vehicle out on the street as well.
Meanwhile, police rushed into my home. They woke up my wife, led her downstairs and to the front porch, frisked her, and asked her where the children were. Then police ordered her to stand on the front porch with her hands against the wall while they entered my children’s bedrooms to make sure they were alive.
The call that sent deputies to my home was a hoax. Someone had pretended to be me. They called the police to say I had shot my wife. The sheriff’s deputies who arrived at my front door believed they were about to confront an armed man who had just shot his wife. I don’t blame the police for any of their actions. But I blame the person who made the call.
Because I could have been killed.
I never described how slipshod the investigation was, but the FBI investigators clearly did not care about my case. They waited seven months to subpoena the phone records. They failed to subpoena records of other calls made by the SWATter until those records had been purged. Whenever I called them about the case, I got the distinct sense that I was regarded as a pain in the rear.
I got frustrated with them and finally told the agent in charge of the case that they needed to work harder on these cases. I said that SWATting was very dangerous. That one day, eventually, it would end up killing someone.
Now that has evidently happened.
I’ve been shouting about this issue for years, and have warned again and again of the danger.
I should feel vindicated.
Instead, I just feel sick to my stomach.
My heart goes out to the man’s family.
What an awful, terrible thing.
UPDATE: His name was Andrew Finch. He leaves behind two children, ages 7 and 2. His family says he was not armed.
Rest in peace.
UPDATE x2: Police have released the audio of the SWATting call:
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The voice does not sound familiar, but the dead affect of the voice does. There is also body cam footage:
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It’s very difficult to see what actions (if any) prompted the shooting.
What a tragedy.
[Cross-posted at RedState and The Jury Talks Back.]
police shoot so many unarmed people it’s hard to know for sure where to place the blame
yes yes swatting was a tragic accident waiting to happen
but maybe this officer was his own accident waiting to happen too
happyfeet (28a91b) — 12/29/2017 @ 2:40 pmExcellent post.
ThOR (c9324e) — 12/29/2017 @ 3:08 pmSome details here about the victim and the origin of the swatting
Kishnevi (5a999e) — 12/29/2017 @ 3:12 pmhttp://www.kansas.com/news/local/crime/article192147194.html
This is absolutely horrible. What a dreadful thing for this family. One hopes that as someone died from being SWATed, the authorities will begin to take this particular crime with the seriousness with which it needs to be taken.
I’m so sorry that Patterico and his family had to endure not only being SWATed when they did, but also had to endure a startling lack of seriousness by the authorities. Insult to injury.
Dana (023079) — 12/29/2017 @ 3:37 pmThat is remarkable that they would be so cavalier with the family of a fellow law enforcement officer
narciso (d1f714) — 12/29/2017 @ 3:44 pmAs far as we know, the man who answered the door was unarmed, apparently had no idea of what was going on (or why answer the door?), and the officer shoots him. What compelled the officer to draw his weapon? What threat was he responding to, or was it a case of nerves and he jumped the gun? As far as we know, the man answering the door had no motive other than answering the door. I’ll be curious to find out what the police officers have to say.
Dana (023079) — 12/29/2017 @ 4:05 pmUPDATE: His name was Andrew Finch. He leaves behind two children, ages 7 and 2. His family says he was not armed.
Rest in peace.
Patterico (522dfb) — 12/29/2017 @ 4:06 pmR.I.P. Rose Marie
Icy (9162e9) — 12/29/2017 @ 4:19 pmTerrible. Thanks for the continuing attention to the problem. Definitely swatting should be considered to be Deadly Conduct or some like charge.
Dustin (5d2708) — 12/29/2017 @ 4:25 pmHis account was suspended overnight.
My guess is that the online gaming service, Xbox Live probably, had ample warning about this guy and should expect a lawsuit for not bringing down the hammer earlier.
Anyone who has gamed, knows how it is a magnet for a$$holes. Grown men in their 40s berating teenagers with expletives and verbal abuse is not uncommon, and yet suspensions are very rare. The services don’t like to lose customers.
If this guy had complaints lodged against him, and nothing was done, the gaming service is going to have a hard time saying they don’t share in the blame.
random viking (6f9d28) — 12/29/2017 @ 4:33 pmThey don’t seem to observing the highest of standards:
narciso (d1f714) — 12/29/2017 @ 4:38 pmhttp://kansas.com/news/local/crime/article180380141.html
I have to wonder.
Kishnevi (5a999e) — 12/29/2017 @ 4:42 pm“Responsible gun owners” kill, in self-defense, by accident, by falling into wrath too easily, or with malice enough to call it murder, such and such a number of people every year.
It’s getting to the point that both in terms of raw numbers and per capita rates, that statistic is less than the corresponding number of people who die in police shootings. Or at least it seems that way. IOW, it seems as if the average person is at a higher risk of being shot by the police than by a neighbor with anger management issues.
Emphasis mine.
Emphasis mine again.
CayleyGraph (1c63a5) — 12/29/2017 @ 4:43 pmIs seven months just some sort of police standard?
I am copy pasting comments by our host made in the other thread because they are germane here
My own suspicion is that they are protecting themselves and other cops instinctively. Exposing the abuse of swatting exposes the abuses to which our system is suspectiblr.
Kishnevi (5a999e) — 12/29/2017 @ 4:48 pmJesus. That’s horrendous. I hope they catch this vicious idiot quickly.
JP (aa4555) — 12/29/2017 @ 4:51 pmTrigger-happy, murderous cop, just jumping at the chance to finally murder somebody legally. Like Philip Brailsford, the pile of pig feces in blue, who murdered Daniel Shaver.
nk (dbc370) — 12/29/2017 @ 4:57 pmSo the dead guy wasn’t even involved in the alleged ‘gamer feud’? One gamer gave the other gamer a faux address and by dumb bad luck and a cop’s over-reaction we have this ridiculous tragedy.
Throw the book at the Swatter – absolutely then bankrupt him with a civil suit.
17.”Trigger-happy, murderous cop, just jumping at the chance to finally murder somebody legally.”
Think he came to work that day hoping to shoot someone? uhhhh
harkin (8256c3) — 12/29/2017 @ 5:12 pmThink he came to work that day hoping to shoot someone? uhhhh
Res ipsa loquitor.
nk (dbc370) — 12/29/2017 @ 5:14 pmI can understand the urgency, but discretion is important too, anyways chief Livingston seems to have a string of bad apples
narciso (d1f714) — 12/29/2017 @ 5:29 pmWell, this just sucks. NBC Nightly News did a nat’l story on it.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 12/29/2017 @ 5:41 pmThe cops blame the prankster. Good luck w/that excuse.
He probably failed to follow their shouted contradictory instructions.
kaf (6aeb37) — 12/29/2017 @ 5:42 pmAn anonymous telephone call didn’t even use to be probable cause. Now it’s a death warrant. Thank you very much, Mr. Justice Navarette Thomas.
nk (dbc370) — 12/29/2017 @ 5:47 pmThat had to do with searches of property, not other indicia.
narciso (d1f714) — 12/29/2017 @ 5:51 pmNo, narciso.
nk (dbc370) — 12/29/2017 @ 5:54 pm@23. This is why Barney had one bullet buttoned into his shirt pocket. Too many eager, young, ex-military, fresh out integrating into undertrained, overly militarized municipalities.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 12/29/2017 @ 5:56 pmThis has been a huge strain on the whole Frey family. Let’s be thankful that Pat, Aaron, John hoge, and others were not harmed by the swatting.
EPWJ (4dc563) — 12/29/2017 @ 6:31 pmYou we expect of modicum of compassion, competence, in law enforcement, yet these jokers can’t even achieve that. If there was an actual hostage situation it might be different.
narciso (d1f714) — 12/29/2017 @ 6:40 pmIn memoriam: remembering who we lost in 2017. Fox News video.
papertiger (c8116c) — 12/29/2017 @ 6:49 pmThat FBI agent was running down leads in his mistress’ undergarments if Strzok is any indication.
Pinandpuller (78771a) — 12/29/2017 @ 6:54 pmA Georgia teen who dreamed of being a Marine was killed by police at his front door while wielding only a Wii remote, the family lawyer claims.
Christopher Roupe, 17, of Euharlee was felled by a single police bullet when an unidentified officer arrived at the family mobile home to execute a probation violation warrant against his father, authorities said.
Meanwhile, police assert that the teen pointed a gun directly at the female officer, prompting her to blast the boy in the chest.
Source
Pinandpuller (78771a) — 12/29/2017 @ 7:01 pmAn anonymous telephone call didn’t even use to be probable cause. Now it’s a death warrant. Thank you very much, Mr. Justice Navarette Thomas.
nk (dbc370) — 12/29/2017 @ 5:47 pm
There was an episode of COPS where a guy got talked into unloading a plumb full UHaul trailer based on a phone tip from the guy’s ex gf. It was sort of a going away present.
Pinandpuller (78771a) — 12/29/2017 @ 7:10 pmMuch more here.
DRJ (15874d) — 12/29/2017 @ 7:14 pmTrigger-happy murderer shooting at first colorable pretext.
nk (dbc370) — 12/29/2017 @ 7:20 pmUPDATE x2: Police have released the audio of the SWATting call:
The voice does not sound familiar, but the dead affect of the voice does. There is also body cam footage:
It’s very difficult to see what actions (if any) prompted the shooting.
What a tragedy.
Patterico (522dfb) — 12/29/2017 @ 7:33 pmShort form seems to be: if you don’t freeze into an instant statue, the police will kill you.
In a way, this is the fault of Black Lives Matter, because they hijacked the problem of over policing and turned it into Only Black Lives Matter. (Or Some Lives Matter. I think credit for the latter phrase goes to Narciso.)
Kishnevi (3bfc26) — 12/29/2017 @ 7:33 pmA terrible thing, makes one wonder where it all ends…
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 12/29/2017 @ 7:34 pmHopefully they can track this SOB down and prosecute to the fullest extent.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 12/29/2017 @ 7:39 pmYes I coined it, because they narrowly focus on those in the scope of law enforcement and not to the average citizen living under the reign of terror of the gangsm
narciso (d1f714) — 12/29/2017 @ 7:39 pmYeah, kishnevi, it’s everybody’s fault except the guy’s who knowingly an intentionally and without lawful justification shot and killed the victim.
nk (dbc370) — 12/29/2017 @ 7:41 pmAnd it’s only going to get worse with the orange-skinned cop buff in the White House because there will not be any federal investigations or prosecutions of cops unless they texted something bad about him.
nk (dbc370) — 12/29/2017 @ 7:45 pmYou really think so, actually the converse is true,
narciso (d1f714) — 12/29/2017 @ 7:47 pmTrigger-happy cops and asshole pranksters are a bad combo.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 12/29/2017 @ 7:47 pmSomeone intentionally made a false call, the consequences stem from that,
narciso (d1f714) — 12/29/2017 @ 7:53 pmThe consequence is a dead person. And it stems from somebody intentionally shooting him with a real bullet. That is the proximate cause.
nk (dbc370) — 12/29/2017 @ 8:01 pmSo what rule, would you institute to prevent this,
narciso (d1f714) — 12/29/2017 @ 8:05 pmAnd it’s only going to get worse with the orange-skinned cop buff in the White House because there will not be any federal investigations or prosecutions of cops unless they texted something bad about him.
The thing to take away from Henry Gates is not that police acted stupidly, but that people should buy keypad locks for their door. I did.
And I’m thinking that I should buy a plate carrier for when I answer the door.
Pinandpuller (78771a) — 12/29/2017 @ 8:21 pmThe rules are already in place. They’re the homicide laws. Police departments and prosecutors don’t enforce them against cops.
nk (dbc370) — 12/29/2017 @ 8:24 pm“So what rule, would you institute to prevent this,”
– narciso
How bout “if you shoot and kill someone for no reason, you go to prison for homicide”?
Sounds familiar, actually.
Leviticus (3424cd) — 12/29/2017 @ 8:24 pmWhoops. I see that I cross-posted with nk.
Leviticus (3424cd) — 12/29/2017 @ 8:25 pm“Hopefully they can track this SOB down and prosecute to the fullest extent.”
– Colonel Haiku
Pretty sure he shouldn’t be too hard to track, based on his badge number.
Leviticus (3424cd) — 12/29/2017 @ 8:26 pmWe can only infer that swatting is only “deadly conduct” if we assume that American police are mindless killing machines.
Leviticus (3424cd) — 12/29/2017 @ 8:30 pmCheshire, Connecticut Home Invasion Murders:
The Cheshire police response to the bank’s report began with assessing the situation and setting up a vehicle perimeter, without revealing their presence. The police remained outside for more than half an hour, taking these preliminary measures, while the assailants were raping and murdering the women inside the house. The police dawdled at the scene, and made no effort to make the assailants aware of their presence.
Maybe they should fall somewhere in the middle.
Has Mohammed Noor’s partner applied for hearing loss disability yet?
Pinandpuller (78771a) — 12/29/2017 @ 8:36 pmYes well Justine diamond like Kate steinle has been declared an unperson. But were not talking a swat team are we? What has this discussion of swatting been about for so many years.
narciso (d1f714) — 12/29/2017 @ 8:43 pmI am told that gun free zones are the way to go… Post signs at the edge of the property and include government employees in the prohibition. Everyone wins.
BfC (5517e8) — 12/29/2017 @ 8:49 pm51… Sorry, Leviticus, the asshole who started this wasn’t the trigger-happy cop. No excuse for that, but the instigator is the asshole who placed the call(s).
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 12/29/2017 @ 8:50 pmYes the cop is partially responsible, I think manslaughter is justudiable, can the Wichita prosecutira handled that?
narciso (d1f714) — 12/29/2017 @ 8:55 pm“it’s everybody’s fault except” IANAL, but I guess _both_ shooter and “prankster” are culpable, each in his own way.
So is there a way to catch the “prankster?” IP addresses or something?
gp (0c542c) — 12/29/2017 @ 8:59 pmA gun is a. Instrument a tool, that can be used for good or ill
narciso (d1f714) — 12/29/2017 @ 9:00 pmNo, it was not the asshole who placed the call, either. It was the other guy who made him angry and gave him a false address. No, wait, it was not that other guy’s fault, either. It was the victim’s for choosing to live at that address. This was totally foreseeable and there is nobody to blame but him.
nk (dbc370) — 12/29/2017 @ 9:12 pmIs not the law that if somebody is killed during the commission of a crime, that all that participated can be charged with the unlawful killing too? If the officer is not charged with the murder, then neither should “prankster”?
Police are civilians too (not military) and should be subject to the same laws as the rest of us.
BfC (5517e8) — 12/29/2017 @ 9:22 pmThe classic felony murder rule, BfC? I’d go for it, if it’s still on the books and if making a false call to the police is a felony in that jurisdiction. But it’s not necessary to charge the shooter. If two people rob a bank and the bank guard kills one of them, the survivor is guilty of felony murder, for one example.
nk (dbc370) — 12/29/2017 @ 9:37 pmThe way things are going, the dead guy will probably be charged with murder of himself as he was using the deadly hands near belt attack in an occupied home or hotel, and for giving the cops PTSD.
Will the family be charged for the cost of the bullet?
BfC (5517e8) — 12/29/2017 @ 9:55 pmYou only think you’re joking. In a case in the news, right now, Chicago cops shot and killed one guy who they said was threatening them with a baseball bat and his aunt who they said was an accident — a missed shot at the bat guy. The cops are now suing the dead man’s estate in their individual capacities. The City also sued, but there was public outcry and the mayor dropped it.
nk (dbc370) — 12/29/2017 @ 10:01 pmVery sad. I cannot imagine what makes any of the parties involved feel their actions were acceptable. A family is without their father/husband/breadwinner due to their actions.
NJRob (b00189) — 12/29/2017 @ 10:07 pmIt’s just getting government agents to do what government does best: slaughter innocent people.
mama (3b68d8) — 12/29/2017 @ 10:17 pmYour city is insane and shameless, nk. Yes the cop committed a,tragic mistake but it wouldn’t have happened if not for the punk who made the call.
narciso (c404f1) — 12/29/2017 @ 10:19 pmIt was not a tragic mistake. It was the intentional performance of a voluntary act that he knew or had reason to know would cause death or great bodily harm.
nk (dbc370) — 12/29/2017 @ 10:32 pmIntentional.
Voluntary.
No strings tied to his hands and pulled by the SWATter.
The punk was probably pissed at being shot down by a camper.
I always play FPS online game while muting EVERYONE. I INSTANTLY block anyone who hate mails me on PSN. There really are some angry little miscreants in that realm, it’s enough to make your blood boil.
The internet really brings out the lowest of the low in humanity.
lee (b56b65) — 12/29/2017 @ 10:34 pm60… It was the clown who placed the calls that started what led to the fatal shooting. He is culpabable. That was a dishonest act that led to the death of an innocent man. Nobody’s contending the shooting was justified… are they?
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 12/29/2017 @ 10:36 pmNobody’s contending the shooting was justified… are they?
It’s hard to tell, Haiku. You tell me. Is the SWATter the only person who is culpable, or is the cop also culpable?
nk (dbc370) — 12/29/2017 @ 10:52 pmIf the shooter is not charged/convicted with the killing, then it would appear to be “justified”–That is how they roll.
Sort of like suicide–Nobody responsible except the dead guy. The clown was aiding and abetting the suicide.
How could they charge the caller with manslaughter or murder if the guy with the gun is not?
BfC (5517e8) — 12/29/2017 @ 10:53 pmProsecutorial discretion? (sarc) But the usual way is to bring a phony prosecution, with a rigged jury and a prosecutor who rolls over for the defense, while the police union pays the cop’s attorney and he is on paid “administrative leave”.
nk (dbc370) — 12/29/2017 @ 11:01 pmIn the 911 call, the caller claims that he has doused the house with gasoline and is thinking of setting it on fire (around 2:45 in the 911 recording).
Xmas (3a75bb) — 12/29/2017 @ 11:12 pmArrest made – dood’s on-line handle was ‘Swautistic’ apparently.
https://mobile.twitter.com/BNONews/status/946982320115998720
harkin (8256c3) — 12/29/2017 @ 11:21 pmWow – just reading this story makes you feel slimy, these losers are scum.
harkin (8256c3) — 12/29/2017 @ 11:24 pmArticle from Twitter link:
BfC (5517e8) — 12/29/2017 @ 11:50 pmhttp://bnonews.com/news/index.php/news/id6899
Patterico, I’ve no doubt whatsoever about the intensity of the reaction this news must have provoked in you and your family, given your own history. I join you in sympathizing with Mr. Finch’s family and friends in an incalculably greater tragedy. But I wish you and yours a quick recovery from your own reactions and the terrible memories that must be associated with them.
This source, “Pollygon.com,” for which I can’t in any way vouch, suggests that the perpetrator of the false report was a gamer known in the Call of Duty online community as “Swatistic”:
If those are bogus rumors, they’re at least creative. Yes, by all means, if you suspect that you might have civil or criminal liability for making a false report to law enforcement that leads to the shooting death of an innocent victim, start arguing your case on Twitter! Nothing there can ever be used against you in court, right? Right? ‘Cause of the screen-name, right? Or something?
Your most valuable personal constitutional right is that right to remain silent, and it’s astonishing how many people insist on throwing that right away at their very first opportunity!
Beldar (fa637a) — 12/30/2017 @ 12:10 amForgot to include the link.
Beldar (fa637a) — 12/30/2017 @ 12:10 amPatterico–
The system is really busted if a county prosecutor cannot get a sheriff deputy’s interest.
I’ve been told — and I’m not sure how true this is — that in most government organizations less than half the employees are actually interested in the supposed task of their department, and the rest are just going through the motions. The person who told me this was a mid-level guy in a TLA.
Kevin M (752a26) — 12/30/2017 @ 12:50 amI kind of think that a felony murder charge would be justified, but I don’t know the history of felony-murder-by-proxy. A wrongful death suit would be a slam dunk against the swatter, although the odds are he’s judgement-proof.
Kevin M (752a26) — 12/30/2017 @ 12:55 amWhat was the name of the killer. You should have his name, rank, badge number, years of service, special training certifications.
Why in the world would a murdering son of a b i t c h like that be afforded anomnity, the most valuable personal constitutional right as a matter of course, when he is in the most public of professions?
papertiger (c8116c) — 12/30/2017 @ 1:57 amThis
^^^^
Have a seat. Plenty of room. [jpg]
papertiger (c8116c) — 12/30/2017 @ 2:20 amThere was a Swat call and Officer Tackleberry missed it. [YouTube]
papertiger (c8116c) — 12/30/2017 @ 2:37 amPutting a stop to this madness calls for madness, string this punk up to a sturdy oak branch on a saturday with mandatory viewing.
mg (8cbc69) — 12/30/2017 @ 3:15 amHis dangling death will scare the swatting right out of them. Or you could do what the lawyers are doing now to stop this which is nothing.
One has to consider who the bureau was protecting in a similar way to how they shepherded the garland shooter to their target
narciso (d1f714) — 12/30/2017 @ 5:30 amThis is the president of the Chicago police union. All you have to do is look at him to know what kind of so-called “police officers” he represents.
nk (dbc370) — 12/30/2017 @ 6:25 amThis fellow is the local gadfly, but one of the few samuzdat sources. In the open city:
narciso (d1f714) — 12/30/2017 @ 6:31 amoriginal.thecrespogramreport.com/Site_10/ARMANDO_LOST_ELECTION.html
This is his stock picture:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/armando-aguilar-33503aa3
narciso (d1f714) — 12/30/2017 @ 6:38 amMercado was a low level dealer who was stomped righteously, the head of the swat unit subsequently became chief and bowed and scraped before tom Perez ( d talos)
narciso (d1f714) — 12/30/2017 @ 6:44 amWhen the Last Man is Standing…
Gainesville, Florida, police officer who gained unexpected fame as one of the “hot cops” responding to Hurricane Irma has resigned from the department amid allegations he made anti-Semitic Facebook posts and had sex with a woman while on duty.
Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (fed2dc) — 12/30/2017 @ 6:54 amhttps://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/12/29/florida-hot-cop-resigns-amid-probe-into-anti-semitic-facebook-posts/989717001/
Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (fed2dc) — 12/30/2017 @ 6:56 amHis nit worse than your typical kos diarist , but he is dumber than dirt.
narciso (d1f714) — 12/30/2017 @ 7:02 amOr i might add , the intercept contributor who called out all those threats against aynagogues
narciso (d1f714) — 12/30/2017 @ 7:07 am71… Of course the officer that pulled the trigger is culpable. Absolutely.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 12/30/2017 @ 7:59 am87, help me out a little bit…obese officers, connected guys, is he 1/2 something? Not an obvious oyrish guy looks wise.
urbanleftbehind (87ccb0) — 12/30/2017 @ 8:01 amSouth LA or any other traditional hood is a good cover from which to generate these false calls. The police aren’t focused on those appearing nerdier than others and mal speech in the course of online gaming is a low priority.
urbanleftbehind (87ccb0) — 12/30/2017 @ 8:09 amPhotography is art, urbanleftbehind, and art is evocative. It does not help to explain it. What does it evoke in you?
nk (dbc370) — 12/30/2017 @ 8:14 amWhile it is convient to blame the clown calling in a fake 911 call, the problem is that no matter how the police ended up at the Kansas address, somebody who had no clue ended up dead. That is not an uncommon problem:
https://the7thpwr.wordpress.com/accidental-police-shootings/
SWATing is just a small symptom of police being dangerous to a person’s health.
While I believe that “illegal” drugs are a huge problem (both to the person taking drugs, and to their family and those around them), the war on drugs has damaged our police and judicial system to a large degree too.
Would this Kansas event have been “OK” if there was a real hostage/murder situation, but somebody bunged up the address to the police purely by accident? Of course not.
Lots of different inputs to police. Police action results in death. The common connection here is the police.
Training? Reduce the use of police (fewer laws, fewer police actions?). Actually do something about “known wolves” (people known to “the government” that have done bad things but don’t seem to get any major judicial events):
http://bnonews.com/news/index.php/news/id6899 (link from last night)
If a computer had the chance of killing the user if they did not read and understand the manual or pressed the wrong key–Even a 1:1,000,000 chance–That would be unacceptable.
BfC (5517e8) — 12/30/2017 @ 8:18 amBeldar: “Your most valuable personal constitutional right is that right to remain silent, and it’s astonishing how many people insist on throwing that right away at their very first opportunity!
I’ve been reading several books on the Leopold/Loeb case and the investigative portion is amazing. Leopold was held over 36 hours for questioning without calling for a lawyer based on his glasses being found near the body, and his (very wealthy) family insisted he stay with police and tell them everything he knew to assist them as that was his public duty. Their only real concern was that he was not subjected to any sort of “third degree” treatment merely to force a confession.
Both Leopold and Loeb apparently thought remaining silent would arouse suspicion and instead spouted a cavalcade of lies that were in conflict with the evidence that piled up rather quickly.
harkin (8256c3) — 12/30/2017 @ 8:27 amBeldar,
I think you missed the significance of his online name (if that report is true). It suggests he may have a fascination with swattings. It also suggests he may be autistic.
DRJ (15874d) — 12/30/2017 @ 8:49 am87-nk
mg (8cbc69) — 12/30/2017 @ 8:49 amLove that deep dish, mr. union prez?
Chicago has amazing pay, benefits, pensions and job security for all city workers, including cops, by city ordinance, mg. The only reason cops need a union is to protect their Dunkin Donut fatted behinds when they screw up.
nk (dbc370) — 12/30/2017 @ 9:27 amHi Patterico,
I get what you’re saying about the cops just wanting you to go away. Part of the reason is that they don’t want dangerous things like swatting to get noticed because of their investigating it. Law enforcement agencies take a hands-off approach to anything that might result in bad publicity. Of course, bad publicity has definitely happened now.
I would contend that the only way you would have gotten anything to happen on a timely basis would have been to hire a lawyer and start the paperwork for filing a lawsuit. The only thing police fear more than the press getting wind of something, is a lawyer getting subpoena power for discovery in a lawsuit.
Not saying you would need to actually follow through on the lawsuit and get money from the sheriff’s office, but you could play the good-cop/bad-cop thing where your lawyer proposes to be a pitbull in discovery, but you say you want to be “reasonable” if the cops show they are making a diligent effort to find the perpetrator and determine best practices for such calls.
You have to have money for this, of course and so as usual, justice can be enforced by the rich. By the little people? Not so much.
aTomIC (f4f4ab) — 12/30/2017 @ 9:53 am