Lawsuit over police killing in 2017 Call of Duty swatting is finally settled for $5 million
The city of Wichita, Kansas, has reached a $5 million settlement with the family of Andrew Finch, who was shot and killed by police(opens in new tab) responding to a swatting call in 2017.
The incident arose from a dispute between two players in an online Call of Duty match, which led one to engage the services of a notorious swatter who went by the name of Swautistic. But the target of the swatting provided a false address, which led police to Finch's home. They surrounded the house, but when Finch stepped out onto his porch to see what was going on, police officer Justin Rapp shot and killed him almost immediately. Finch was unarmed and unaware of the police action around his house.
Criminal charges were not filed against Rapp in the case, but the family understandably brought a lawsuit against the city in 2018. According to the Wichita Eagle(opens in new tab), the city fought the family in court for five years through appeals and attempting to have it thrown out. Wichita was eventually removed from the suit, leaving Rapp as the sole defendant, but the city is still responsible for Rapp's legal costs. The settlement will cost Wichita $2 million, while the balance will be covered by insurance.
«It has been difficult to say the very least,» a Finch family spokesperson said after the council voted in favor of the settlement. «I’ve watched this family go through disappointment after disappointment after disappointment and finally today we came together as a community. We got this done.»
“I’m just glad that, as a community, we can find closure and do our part to bring closure to the family,” Wichita mayor Brandon Whipple said. “This is just an awful situation.”
Swatting is a «prank» in which someone—typically an aggrieved
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