The first episode of Netflix's documentary, Web of Make Believe, portrays the story of Tyler Barriss, who gets an innocent man killed after he reported a fake crime scene to Wichita police. Tyler aka SWAuTistic, 28, never got to live with his parents. Raised by his grandmother, Tyler made a bluff call just because his friend, Casey Viner, lost a Call of Duty game. He wanted to swat Shane Gaskill, however, his father named Andrew Finch was shot by a police officer named Justin Rapp. Follow the article to know more about Tyler Raj Barris, what Twitter and Reddit users think about him, and where he is now.
'Web of Make Believe: Death, Lies, and the Internet', a new Netflix series about the Internet and the terrible things people do on it and how those terrible things tend to bleed over into real-life premiered this week. It's a six-part series with each episode lasting around an hour.
The show, which premiered all six episodes on June 15, covers some relatively familiar ground and occasionally slides into cliche, but it's still fascinating. Death by SWAT is the name of the first episode, and it centers on the online gaming community and the use of 'Swatting' to eliminate rival players.
Essentially, this is making fake phone calls to emergency agencies to report major crimes. This is linked to police shootings among other horrible incidents. The episode portrays the story of Tyler Barriss who calls in bomb threats across the country. Well, if you are eager to know about Tyler's full story and what happened to him, we've got you covered.
Previously, we touched on the story of Kevin Doherty, Seth Rich's girlfriend, and Adelina Finch.
Who Is Tyler Barriss aka SWAuTistic? Why Was Andrew Finch Shot by Justin Rapp?
The episode starts with Tyler Barriss' early childhood in California, where he lived with his grandmother after his father died and his mother abandoned him. According to the documentary, he wanted to be a professional HALO player.
Tyler Raj Barriss, the 25-year-old homeless guy from Los Angeles, California, had built a reputation for himself as SWAuTistic in the internet community in 2017. He already had a lengthy criminal history, including allegations of domestic abuse and time served in Los Angeles County for making false bomb threats.
Tyler Barriss was wanted by authorities in Panama City, Florida, for calling the emergency service to falsely report roughly 30 other bomb threats, as well as by authorities in Canada on accusations of fraud and mischief for harassing a woman.
Tyler Barriss used free Wi-Fi to call Wichita police on December 28 at the behest of Casey Viner, who wanted to swat Shane Gaskill after a Call of Duty game ended badly. When he called 911 in the area, he said he was at his house in Kansas, where he had brutally murdered his father and was holding the rest of the family hostage at gunpoint.
Tyler even asked if authorities were on their way, stating that he had put gasoline all over the house and was planning to set it on fire.
Officers from the Wichita Police Department, not SWAT team members, responded to the call and went to the address Tyler had provided. They surrounded Andrew Finch, who was 28 years old at the time. The father of two had nothing to do with the Call of Duty game or swatting, yet a cop tragically shot him as he was leaving his home.
Thus began the search for Tyler Barriss, a man who enjoyed terrifying strangers with his pranks while sitting thousands of miles away. The cop, Justin Rapp, who fired the shot, however, has never been charged with Andrew's murder.
On December 29, 2017, Tyler Barriss was arrested in Los Angeles on a fugitive warrant resulting from an unrelated 2015 incident of making fake bomb threats to KABC-TV. After that, he was extradited to Kansas, where he was charged with involuntary manslaughter.
Tyler pleaded guilty on November 13, 2018, to a total of 51 federal crimes, including making a bomb threat against the FBI headquarters. He agreed to serve 20 to 25 years in federal prison, publicly apologize to Andrew's family, and pay a fine and restitution of $10,100. Tyler's plea agreement calls for him to be under supervision for another five years when he is released. In the court, he stated
"If I could take it back, I would, but there is nothing I can do. I am so sorry for that.”
As a result, Tyler Barriss is currently imprisoned at the Federal Correctional Institution in Phoenix, Arizona, at the age of 28. Meanwhile, he is scheduled to be released from prison on January 14, 2035.
Many people on Reddit and Twitter started a discussion about Tyler Barriss. They even released the more clear pictures of him as he was previously not shown publicly. Just like everyone, they also believed Tyler was guilty and he deserved a long time in prison.
Before leaving, learn more about Samantha Froelich and Seth Rich.
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