California man sentenced to 20 years for hoax police call that led to fatal shooting

A California man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for a hoax call that led police to fatally shoot an unarmed Kansas man following a dispute between two people over $1.50 bet in a “Call of Duty: WWII” video game.

Twenty-six-year-old Tyler R. Barriss was sentenced Friday.  He pleaded guilty in November to 51 charges related to fake calls and threats, the most serious one for making a false report resulting in a death.  Officers who responded shot a Wichita man who opened the door at the former address of a gamer involved in the dispute.

Prosecutors sought a sentence of 25 years.  The defense sought 20.

The case drew attention to the practice of “swatting,” a form of retaliation used by gamers and others get police to descend on an address.