How Swatting Landed 'Web Of Make Believe's Tyler Barriss In Prison For 20 Years
Netflix's newest true-crime series Web of Make Believe: Death, Lies, and the Internet dropped on Wednesday and it has already caused quite the stir online. And for good reason, it turns out!
The six-part anthology shares various true stories highlighting the dark side of the internet that often results in scandal, with each episode delving into a different "depraved internet practice." The first episode gave viewers a glimpse into the death of a man named Andrew Finch, which occurred because of a fake police call a gamer named Tyler Barriss made about dangerous activity at Finch's address.
But since the show's premiere, viewers have been curious about what exactly happened during the incident and where Barriss is now. Read on for everything there is to know about Barriss' case and his whereabouts.
What is "swatting"?
Let's understand this term first: In short, swatting is a practice where someone makes a fake call to the police giving them the false impression that someone is in immediate danger. This typically results in police swarming the location they're sent to, prepped and ready to arrest or shoot the alleged perpetrator.
The name stems from the SWAT (special weapons and tactics) unit, which is the team usually sent to deal with hostage situations, per Insider.
What did Tyler Barriss do?
It all started when two gamers, who were playing Call of Duty with Barriss, got into an argument, per the Department of Justice. One of the men, Casey Viner, who was 19 at the time, then asked Barriss to prank the other gamer, Shane Gaskill. However, Viner accidentally gave him Gaskill's old address in Wichita, Kansas, which was at that time occupied by 28-year-old Andrew Finch.
And on December 28, 2017, Barriss called the police to report a fake hostage situation at a home address in Wichita, Kansas.
Finch was shot by police in all the confusion after he "made a move that startled officers," the DOJ said.
Barriss made calls to the police in the past.
As it turns out, Andrew Finch's death was just the tip of the iceberg in Barriss' history of swatting. During his trial, Barriss confessed to swatting people for years.
As it turns out, he was connected to swatting incidents in over 17 states, including New York, Texas, and Arizona—all over the span of three years, per Bustle.
Where is he now?
After pleading guilty to all 51 charges, Barriss racked up a 20-year prison sentence based on time accumulated from sentences in Kansas, California, and Washington D.C., per Bustle.
His sentencing was held in the spring of 2019, so he probably won't be released until 2039. He'll be around 45 years old when his sentence is complete.
Viner was also sentenced to 15 months in prison after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy and one count of obstructing justice, per the Department of Justice.
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