Crime & Justice

Kansas Cop Who Killed Innocent Man in ‘Swatting’ Incident Is Promoted

‘It’s atrocious’

Andrew Finch, 28, was shot seconds after he stepped on his porch by cops who thought they were responding to a hostage situation.

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Wichita Police Department

A Wichita, Kansas, cop who shot and killed an unarmed man who was targeted in a “swatting” hoax has been promoted to detective—a move the victim’s mother called “atrocious.” Police were called to Andrew Finch’s home by a bogus report of deadly hostage situation, and Office Justin Rapp fired on the 28-year-old dad seconds after he stepped out on the porch. According to The Wichita Eagle, Rapp claimed he thought Finch had a gun, though he conceded he did not actually see a firearm. “It pierces my heart,” Finch’s mother, Lisa Finch, said of Rapp’s promotion. “It sends a message that civilians don’t matter—because that could have happened to anybody.” Rapp was not charged or disciplined in connection with Finch’s 2017 death.

Read it at The Wichita Eagle

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