Swatting as a Deadly Prank

[_moksha]

It's not really funny when you wind up a SWAT cop and point him at a live target. Of course, he is going to shoot. That is what cops do.

Two gamers had a bet on playing Call of Duty. An argument ensues. One gamer challenges the other to SWAT him, but he gives a fake address where some unknown victim lives. The second gamer calls the cops and gives them a phony story. The police show up. The unknowing victim answers the door and before he can say a word, the police kill him.

Who is to blame?

http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/30/us/kansas-police-shooting-swatting/index.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ooLjcgB7N4&feature=youtu.be

[_MeDotOrg]

There's actually two incidents:

1. The original phone call putting the police in action.
2. The police response when they are at the door.

Clearly the Gamer who swatted, besides making a false police report, is an accessory, but to what, exactly? It is tempting to discount the police actions because they were initiated by a fraudulent phone call, but if the call had been real, there would still be a dead man who hadn't done anything. It is totally justified to be outraged at the frivolous way in which the Gamer put lives in danger, but that doesn't mean the police should not look at this incident and learn from it.

Beyond that, all of this happened because of a spat involving on line gaming. It's like taking the level of 'gaming' one step closer to reality, or blurring the line between reality and gaming.

[_EAllusion]

The more serious of the two issues is the negligent killing by police, but that does not mean Swatting wasn't also wrong.

Of course, he is going to shoot. That is what cops do.

That's a depressing view of things.