While the gaming universe is built on the notion of competition, it has progressed into a far more aggressive, and potentially fatal, territory known as "swatting." The term is understood as one player's attempt to sabotage their opponent by calling the authorities and sending the police to another person's address for a fake crime they most definitely did not commit. In one case, an innocent man's life was taken because of a rivalry established while playing Call of Duty.
The Wichita Eagle details a disturbing news story of an officer who shot a man because of a fake homicide and hostage situation that was reported to Wichita authorities. According to Dextero, the man was "swatted" because of a $1.50 wager that occurred while playing Call of Duty.
The gamers involved became heated over a loss while playing the game, which erupted into an attempt to "swat" one another. One of the players provided a fake address to the other, who then concocted an elaborate scheme that included a family hostage situation that required a swat team to try and intervene in this deadly domestic disturbance.
Deputy Police Chief Troy Livingston recalls how "A male came to the front door, as he came to the front door, one of our officers discharged his weapon." While the police delve further into this unsettling case, Livingston notes that " We have a lot of information to go through. We were given some misinformation on the [original] call." In addition, four other people were in the house when the incident occurred, and have been taken in for further questioning by officials.
Furthermore, the man who is responsible for the swatting was also allegedly involved in the CWL Dallas bomb hoax earlier this month.