Kan. man killed by cops was victim of 'swatting' prank

A Kansas man shot to death by police earlier this week was the victim of a misdirected gaming prank known as "swatting," according to social media chatter.

The victim, who has been identified as Andrew Finch by local outlets, was gunned down on Thursday night after cops responded to his Wichita home amid a false report that he had shot his father to death and was now holding his mother, brother and sister hostage.

A responding officer fatally shot Finch, 28, when he came to the front door, according to Wichita deputy police chief Troy Livingston. The deputy chief declined to comment on what triggered the officer to open fire and would not say whether Finch was armed.

But a series of Twitter posts screenshotted by the Wichita Eagle suggests that Finch became the unintended victim of a "swatting" prank stemming from a heated discussion over a Call of Duty bet.

Swatting is an internet prank in which someone calls the cops with a fake story about a violent crime in progress, often involving hostages, in an attempt to spark a massive police response. The potentially devastating prank method has gained particular traction among gaming communities and the FBI estimates that some 400 cases occur annually.