The Daily Populous

Saturday December 30th, 2017 day edition

image for Unarmed Kan. man killed by cops was victim of 'swatting' prank

An unarmed Kansas man shot to death by police earlier this week might have been the victim of a misdirected online gaming prank known as "swatting," authorities said Friday.

"I shot him in the head and he's not breathing anymore," the caller said, according to a recording released by the Wichita Police Department.

The caller then added, "I might just pour gasoline all over the house, I might just set it on fire.".

Cops rushed to Andrew Finch's home in Wichita after a "prankster" made up a story about a hostage situation there.

Andrew Finch was shot to death by police on Thursday.

The “swatting” suspect has not been identified and cops said no arrests had been made as of Friday night.

Lisa Finch, surrounded by family members, grieves after her son Andrew Finch was shot to death by police on Thursday in Wichita, Kansas. »

China ban on ivory sales begins Sunday, aims to curb elephant poaching

Authored by reuters.com

China has made a big push to eradicate ivory sales and demand has fallen since early 2014 because of a crackdown on corruption and slower economic growth.

“It is the greatest single step toward reducing elephant poaching,” said Peter Knights, chief executive of the group WildAid.

The ban on all ivory sales has already led to an 80 percent decline in seizures of illegal ivory entering China as well as a 65 percent decline in raw ivory prices, said conservation group WildAid. »

Kansas Man Killed In ‘SWATting’ Attack — Krebs on Security

Authored by krebsonsecurity.com

Compounding the tragedy is that the man killed was an innocent party who had no part in the dispute.

“Livingston didn’t say if the man, who was 28, had a weapon when he came to the door, or what caused the officer to shoot the man.

Police don’t think the man fired at officers, but the incident is still under investigation, he said. »