Man accused of deadly hoax call in Kansas faces arraignment

Tyler Barriss is accused of making a hoax phone call that led police to fatally shoot an unarmed man in Wichita, Kansas, in December 2017. | Bo Rader/The Wichita Eagle via AP

WICHITA, Kan. — A California man accused of making a hoax phone call that led police to fatally shoot an unarmed man in Kansas is scheduled to enter a plea on state charges.

Tyler Barriss, 25, is set for arraignment Friday in Sedgwick County District Court in Wichita, Kansas. He’s charged with involuntary manslaughter, giving a false alarm and interference with a law enforcement officer.

Barriss is accused of calling from Los Angeles on Dec. 28 to report a shooting and kidnapping at a Wichita home. Authorities say an online dispute over a video game between two gamers prompted the call. A responding officer fatally shot 28-year-old Andrew Finch after he opened the door. Finch was not the gamers’ intended target.

Barriss also faces federal charges, but the state case will proceed first.

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