Swatting suspect’s Twitter account tweets threat during jail glitch

A Twitter account linked to Tyler Barriss, a manslaughter suspect in custody awaiting trial in connection with the deadly “swatting” prank that killed a Kansas man late last year, briefly became active when a software upgrade allowed several inmates to get online, the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s said Monday.

Authorities confirmed 14 inmates, including Mr. Barriss, had access to a kiosk inadvertently configured in a manner that allowed them to access the internet Friday, local media reported.

“How am I on the Internet if I’m in jail? Oh, because I’m an eGod, that’s how,” an account linked to Mr. Barriss, 25, tweeted Friday morning.

“All right, now who was talking [expletive]?” the @GoredTutor36 account tweeted 19 minutes later. “Your ass is about to get swatted.”

The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office started an investigation after becoming aware of the tweets and discovered that a software upgrade improperly done by the vendor had allowed inmates to access the internet “for less than a few hours,” The Wichita Eagle reported Monday.

The kiosks are designed to let inmates order products and send electronic messages behind bars, but websites and services like Twitter are typically prohibited.

“As soon as the path was identified it was closed and the affected kiosk was upgraded with the proper digital security features,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

Authorities said the kiosk “has been tested and the issue did not reoccur,” the Eagle reported.

The same security breach allegedly affected an untold number of kiosks located at jails across the country, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Mr. Barris was arrested last year in Los Angeles and later charged and extradited to Kansas in connection with the Dec. 28 death of Andrew Finch, a 28-year-old Wichita resident who was shot and killed by local police responding to a bogus 911 call allegedly placed by Mr. Barris.

Authorities alleged that Mr. Barris phoned 911 and reported a fictitious homicide and hostage situation occurring at Finch’s address in hopes of triggering a large-scale police response — a prank colloquially known as “swatting.” Finch was not the intended target of the incident, but was shot and killed by responding police, according to authorities.

Mr. Barris was subsequently charged with involuntary manslaughter, giving false alarm and interfering with law enforcement. He has been awaiting trial in Sedgwick County Jail since Jan. 11.