Swatting: Man shot dead in Kansas after prank call to 911

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A man has been shot dead by police in the US city of Wichita after an unknown person called emergency services to report a fake deadly shooting and hostage situation, police say.

The incident was a “tragic” example of “swatting”, in which pranksters call 911 to report a made-up incident in the hope that a victim’s home will be raided by a police SWAT team, Wichita deputy police chief Troy Livingston told reporters.

“The incident is a nightmare for everyone involved,” he said.

“Due to the actions of a prankster we have an innocent victim.

“If the false police call had not been made, we would not have been there.”

He did not identify the victim, but he was named by local newspaper The Wichita Eagle as 28-year-old Andrew Finch, a father of two.

Livingston played audio of one of the 911 calls made by the prankster to police in which he says he has shot his father and is holding his mother and younger brother at gunpoint.

He also threatens to set the house on fire.

Livingston said that when officers arrived at the address given to them during the call they were prepared for a hostage situation and positioned themselves around the house.

When a man appeared in the doorway, police told him to put his hands in the air.

While he initially obeyed, the man then put his hands down towards his waistband again.

An officer shot him when he suddenly raised his hands, leading the officer to fear he had pulled a gun, Livingston said.