California man accused in Kansas 'swatting' death also wanted in Canada
Tyler Barriss, 25, allegedly placed a hoax 911 call that lead to a man'
— -- A Southern California man accused of making a hoax 911 call that led to the killing of an unarmed man in Kansas is now also wanted by authorities in Canada.
The Calgary Police Service has issued an arrest warrant for 25-year-old Los Angeles resident Tyler Barriss, who they allege made a "swatting" call on the evening of Dec. 22 to Calgary Police, in which the caller said he had shot his father and were holding his mother and younger brother hostage.
The information provided by the caller led police officers to a home on 17b Street S.W. in Calgary, and the police department's tactical unit "quickly attended the residence, contained the scene, and began evacuating nearby units," according to a police press release.
While the officers were on the scene, 911 dispatchers received another call from a woman who lived at the home, stating that she believed she was the victim of a swatting call, according to police. After she exited the home, officers confirmed that the intial report of a shooting and hostage scenario were false.
Calgary police believe the woman may have been targeted due to her online persona, adding that a "substantial amount" of resources were required to contain the scene and protect the safety of citizens.
After the incident, investigators from the police department's cyber forensics unit "quickly" identified Barriss, who allegedly had made contact with the victim earlier in the day.
The arrest warrant charges Barriss with public mischief, fraud and mischief, police said.
"We take swatting events extremely seriously and will investigate each incident thoroughly," Calgary police said. "Swatting calls have the potential to create significant risks for both public and officer safety and can require an extensive amount of resources to respond and investigate."
On Dec. 28, Barriss allegedly called police in Kansas, detailing an alleged shooting with hostages as a residence in Wichita. Authorities received a 911 call around 6:18 p.m. Central Time from a man who said he had shot his father in the head while his parents were arguing, police said.
The caller also said he was holding his other family members at gunpoint inside the home and was thinking about setting the house on fire, repeatedly giving authorities the address to a Wichita home, according to authorities.
Officers surrounded the front of the home when they arrived on the scene and prepared to make contact with the caller inside, police said. A 28-year-old man then opened the door to the home, obeyed an order to raise his hands for "a very short time," before moving them back down to his waist.
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After the officers ordered the man to put his hands up again, he lowered them down again toward his waistband, and an officer fired one round, striking him, police said. His identity was not released.
The victim was taken to a local hospital and was pronounced dead. Police did not find any weapons on him and later learned that he did not place the 911 call, according to police.
Barriss was charged in Kansas on Dec. 29 for felony making a false alarm, according to a fugitive-from-justice warrant filed by prosecutors in Los Angeles County.
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Last week, Barriss waived extradition proceedings in California, and Kansas authorities have until Feb. 2 to pick him up. He will be held in a Los Angeles County jail without bail until then.
Barriss had also made about 20 calls to universities and media outlets throughout the country in 2015, around the time he was arrested for a bomb threat to ABC Los Angeles station KABC, the Glendale Police Department in Los Angeles County told ABC News.
Barriss pleaded no contest to two felony charges of a false report of a bomb and malicious informing of a bomb in May 2016, in relation to the bomb threat made to KABC, court records show. He was sentenced to two years and eight months in jail.
The FBI will be leading the most recent case since the swatting calls were made around the country. It estimates that about 400 cases of swatting occur nationwide every year, according to The Associated Press.
Barriss' attorney, Mearl Lottman, did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment.
ABC News' Morgan Winsor contributed to this report.