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Justin Rapp was named as the police officer who shot Andrew Thomas Finch to death in a swatting prank December 28, 2017 in Wichita, Kansas.
Finch’s loved ones questioned why Rapp never faced charges in the death of Finch, who was gunned down after police were called to his house stemming from a $1.50 bet on Call of Duty. The story is covered on the first episode of the new Netflix series, “Web of Make Believe: Death, Lies and the Internet,” which was released this week.
The deadly shooting started with an argument between Shane Gaskill and Casey Viner over the video game, officials said on the show. Viner accidentally shot Gaskill’s character in the game, prompting Gaskill to hire notorious swatter Tyler Barriss to send a SWAT team to Viner’s house, authorities said. Viner picked up on the plan, and taunted Barriss, sending him a fake address. That address happened to belong to the Finch family, officials explained on the show. Read more about Barriss here.
Here’s what you need to know:
No Charges Were Filed Against Rapp But He Was Placed on Administrative Duty in the Case
A Kansas judge ruled that Rapp would not face charges, saying that he acted reasonably based on the information he had at the time of the incident, according to KAKE. The local news outlet covered his court appearance in 2018.
“I fired one shot and struck that individual,” Rapp said in court, according to the news outlet.
KAKE reported Rapp is a U-S Army Veteran who joined the force in 2010. KAKE said he was “the face of the department on the FOX-TV show COPS.”
“Since the Finch swatting incident Rapp has been taken off the streets and placed on administrative duty, even though the District Attorney ruled based on Kansas law, no charges would be filed against Rapp, who the DA says acted reasonably based on what the officer knew at the time of the shooting,” the news outlet reported.
Finch’s Family Sued for $25 Million & a Lawsuit Is Under Appeal Today
So you’re telling me dude opened the door and in 10 seconds you saw no weapon and still shot this man with your AR-15. But now you want to sue because instead of losing your job you got desk duty…oooookkkaaaayyyy
Finch’s family filed a lawsuit, seeking $25 million in his death. The case is under appeal, according to the MacArthur Justice Center, which is working with Accident Injury Law Group, the law firm Bartlit Beck, and Kansas-based civil rights attorney Rick Bailey in the case.
“This case is currently on appeal to the Tenth Circuit, where MJC will be defending the district court’s denial of qualified immunity,” the MacArthur Justice Center wrote.
Although the district court ruled Rapp was not entitled to qualified immunity, it also rejected the suit against the city of Wichita prior to the appeal.
“Andrew was unarmed. The police were at his house because of a 911 call that turned out to be a prank. Officer Justin Rapp shot and killed Andrew less than 10 seconds after he walked out of his front door. And Andrew’s killing was one of 23 police shootings in the city of Wichita over the preceding five years—none of which were meaningfully investigated, and none of which resulted in meaningful discipline for the officers involved,” the MacArthur Justice Center wrote.
READ NEXT: Tyler Barriss Now: Where Is the Swatter Today in 2022?