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Teenage Gamer Sentenced to 15 Months Over Fatal ‘Swatting’ Prank

Casey Viner, 19, will also be restricted from gaming for two years.

An Ohio gamer who initiated a “swatting” prank over a video game bet that got a Kansas man killed was sentenced to 15 months in prison on Friday, the Associated Press reports. Casey Viner, 19, was also ordered to be restricted from gaming for two years during his supervised release after the prison sentence. In a courtroom statement, Viner said he was “awfully sorry” for what happened. “I never intended for anything to happen. I think of it every day,” he said. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy and obstruction of justice earlier this year, and admitted to initially trying to hide his involvement in the fatal 2017 incident.

Andrew Finch, 28, was killed after Viner recruited a prankster to “swat”—or call authorities to an address for a hoax emergency—his opponent on Call of Duty: WWII over a $1.50 bet. However, Viner was given an old address of his opponent—which led to the death of Finch. Viner's opponent, 19-year-old Shane Gaskill, was also charged as a co-conspirator for knowingly giving Viner his old address and pushing him to “try something.”