Family of Kansas man killed in ‘swatting’ incident seeking $25 million in damages

The family of a Kansas man who was killed by police after pranksters reported a fake hostage situation at his house is seeking $25 million in damages from the city of Wichita.

NBC affiliate KSNW reported that court documents filed in U.S. district court by the family of Andrew Finch, who was killed in late 2017 by police SWAT team members who later said they believed him to be reaching for a firearm, request the highest amount of total damages of any so-called “swatting” case in the U.S. so far.

{mosads}Swatting, a prank that involves targeting a victim’s home with a false 911 call reporting a dangerous situation, grew in popularity with the rise of online streaming, with the perpetrators now able to see the results on the victims’ live video broadcasts.

Finch, a father of two, was killed in December of 2017 after a serial swatting culprit, Tyler Barriss, called in a fake hostage situation at his address. Barriss has since been sentenced to 20-25 years in prison on related charges.

In court documents, Finch’s family request more than $20 million for pain and suffering and loss of consortium, as well as smaller amounts for lifetime lost earnings and burial arrangements. The family is also seeking $750,000 each from two police officers involved in the shooting.

“The Finch case represents one of the most egregious police shootings in the country,” family attorney Andrew Stroth told NBC News. Wichita city officials declined to comment to the news service.

“Two young children no longer have their father due to the unconstitutional actions of this officer and a clear pattern and practice of excessive and lethal force utilized by the Wichita Police Department,” Stroth added.