4 Billboards In Wichita, Kansas: Charge Police In Deadly Swatting

WICHITA, KS — Taking a cue from an Academy Award winning movie, four billboards that have popped up in Wichita, Kansas, call attention to the lack of arrests of police officers involved in the deadly shooting of Andrew Finch, the 28-year-old father of two who was killed in a “swatting” hoax in December.

But unlike in the fictional movie, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” that depicted the lack of arrests in a rape and murder, the real billboards in Wichita all bear the same message: “Andy Finch is dead. If you believe in justice, it’s time to file charges.”

It’s unclear who is responsible for the billboard ads, which feature large black letters on a red background, according to media reports.

However, the website address on the billboards — JusticeForAndy.org — appears to be run by community members. The Wichita Police Department has not released the name of the officer who shot Finch late last year, saying it is against its policy.

Finch was unarmed when he was shot and killed the evening of Dec. 28 after a team of officers dressed in full tactical gear responded to the fake 911 call that seemed to report a kidnapping in progress at his Wichita home. Instead, investigators have said, the call originated from California and was made as part of the “Call of Duty” online game in which players try to get police SWAT teams to respond to someone’s home.

Involuntary manslaughter and other charges have been filed in California against 25-year-old Tyler Raj Barriss, who police believe placed the swatting call. But despite public pressure in Wichita, none of the police officers who responded has been charged.

The shooting has increased public scrutiny of the Wichita Police Department. Finch’s family filed a federal lawsuit in January that says Wichita police officers are more likely to be involved in shootings than their counterparts nationwide and should be held accountable along with the man accused of making the bogus call.

In its response to the lawsuit, the city of Wichita said Finch was told to "raise his hands and show his hands and was told to 'walk this way,’ ” but disregarded police instructions. The response says Finch appeared to be drawing a weapon and the officer who filed the fatal shot with a rifle “perceived that the male presented an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury to those officers and fired one shot to protect those officers.”

Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett told the Wichita Eagle his office is investigating the Finch shooting.

"Any case involving the discharge of a firearm leading to death (whether fired by a citizen or an officer) will involve dozens of officers, detectives and crime scene investigators as well as multiple forensic analysts and experts," Bennett said. "This all leads to hundreds of hours of investigation. I am reviewing it all. When the review is complete my decision will be made public."

Lisa Finch, told KWCH-TV she doesn’t know who paid for the billboards, but appreciates the gesture.

"This really matters to people. Complete strangers are willing to do stuff on behalf of my son, and to a grieving mother who lost that son, I cannot describe what that means to me," she told the TV station. "It makes it just a little easier to deal with to know that so many people care about what happened to my son."

Image: This file photo illustrates the aim in the online game “Call of Duty,” in which players try to get police SWAT teams to respond to someone’s home. (Photo by Shutterstock)