The mother of a Wichita man who was fatally shot by a police officer last month in a swatting incident says she is seeking justice.
"It’s been horrible. It’s just unbelievable," Lisa Finch told reporters during a Tuesday press conference with her attorney outside of City Hall. "It has affected me. It has affected my health and not just me, the entire family."
Finch filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Wichita and the officers involved in the shooting death of her 28-year-old son, Andrew.
A Wichita police officer shot Andrew Finch at his home on Dec. 28 during an investigation into an emergency call later determined to be a case of swatting, when a person makes up a false report to get emergency responders to descend on an address.
Related: With Gamers Swatting, SWAT Expert Says Cops Rarely Receive Training
Police have said officers told Finch to put his hands up and move slowly, and that Finch moved a hand toward the area of his waistband. Police have also said an officer who feared Finch was reaching for a gun fired a single shot.
Finch was unarmed.
"What everybody needs to think about," Lisa Finch said, "that this a real possibility that it could have happened to your child or your relative."
The officers involved have not been identified.
A California man is accused of making the hoax call. Tyler Barriss is in custody at the Sedgwick County Jail charged with involuntary manslaughter, giving false alarm and interference with a law enforcement officer.
Barriss is not named as a defendant in the Finch family's civil lawsuit.
City Attorney Jennifer Magana issued a statement Tuesday saying that "after the City of Wichita is served with the lawsuit, it will be reviewed and an appropriate response filed.”
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Follow Deborah Shaar on Twitter @deborahshaar.
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