Police in Wichita killed an unarmed man targeted by a 'swatting' prank


A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
Police in Wichita, Kansas, fatally shot an unarmed father of two, Andrew Finch, during a SWAT raid now known to be instigated as part of a prank called "swatting," a hoax in which an emergency call is made to summon a SWAT team to deal with a nonexistent crisis.
Officers were responding to a 911 call reporting someone had been shot in the head. When Finch, 28, opened his front door to see why emergency vehicles were outside his home, he was shot and his family arrested.
"Due to the actions of a prankster, we have an innocent victim," said Deputy Wichita Police Chief Troy Livingston, who said police officers told Finch to put his hands up before shooting and believed he was reaching for a weapon.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"What gives the cops the right to open fire?" asked Finch's mother, Lisa Finch, the next morning. "Why didn't they give him the same warning they gave us? That cop murdered my son over a false report." Watch her comments below. Bonnie Kristian
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Bonnie Kristian was a deputy editor and acting editor-in-chief of TheWeek.com. She is a columnist at Christianity Today and author of Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community (forthcoming 2022) and A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today (2018). Her writing has also appeared at Time Magazine, CNN, USA Today, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, and The American Conservative, among other outlets.
-
What to know when filing a hurricane insurance claim
The Explainer A step-by-step to figure out what insurance will cover and what else you can do beyond filing a claim
By Becca Stanek Published
-
How fees impact your investment portfolio — and how to save on them
The Explainer Even seemingly small fees can take a big bite out of returns
By Becca Stanek Published
-
Enemy without
Cartoons
By The Week Staff Published
-
Mobsters jailed by Giuliani are 'thrilled' with his RICO prosecution. Former fans are sad.
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Police video shows GOP Rep. Ronny Jackson profanely threatening Texas trooper in rodeo altercation
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Ecuador anti-corruption presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio shot dead before election
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
DOJ investigating alleged racial profiling among Connecticut troopers
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Police reach potential breakthrough in Tupac Shakur murder case
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Top suspect in transformative 1982 cyanide-laced Tylenol murders dies uncharged
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Ex-US gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar reportedly stabbed in prison
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Ohio residents demand justice after police officer kills family dog
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published