This past August, we followed up on efforts in Wichita, Kansas, to stop swatting after one such Call of Duty-related “prank” saw 28-year-old Andrew Finch killed by police in 2017. At the time of that writing, the person who initially requested the swat attempt, 19-year-old Casey Viner, had put in a plea of “not guilty” but was potentially changing that plea. We now have a current update on Viner’s fate, which ultimately sees him facing jail time.
According to a report from NBC News, Viner had indeed changed to a guilty plea in April as part of a deal that recommended a sentence that included two years’ probation, six months of home confinement, and two years of restriction from gaming. The District Judge hearing the case ultimately sentenced Viner to 15 months of prison time as well as the two-year gaming ban.
The report also mentions that Shane Gaskill, who provided the Wichita address, has struck a deal for deferred prosecution that could see charges against him dropped, while the family of Finch is still pursuing a lawsuit against Wichita police for his murder. Tyler Barriss, who actually called in the swatting itself, was sentenced to 20 years in prison earlier this year.
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