A US man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for making bogus emergency calls, including one that led police to fatally shoot a man following a dispute over a $US1.50 bet on a video game.

Key points: Barriss is described as a loner who found solace becoming a serial swatter in the gaming community

Barriss is described as a loner who found solace becoming a serial swatter in the gaming community He apologises to the family of the man who was killed and says he would take it back if he could

He apologises to the family of the man who was killed and says he would take it back if he could The sentencing judge tells the court the case is in "uncharted legal territory" and laws have not caught up with technology

Prosecutors believe Tyler R Barriss was given the longest sentence ever imposed for the practice of swatting — a form of retaliation in which someone reports a false emergency to have authorities, particularly a SWAT team, descend on an address.

The 26-year-old pleaded guilty in November to 51 charges related to fake calls and threats, following the 2017 death of Andrew Finch.

His killing, which had stemmed from a fallout over the Call of Duty: WWII video game, drew national attention to swatting.

Authorities said an Ohio gamer recruited Barriss to swat a Wichita gamer, but that the address they had supplied was old, leading police to Mr Finch, who was not involved in the video game or the dispute.

Barriss called Wichita police from Los Angeles in December 2017 to falsely report a shooting and kidnapping at that Wichita address.

Mr Finch answered the door, and an officer shot the unarmed 28-year-old.

'Swatting' victim Andrew Finch was unarmed when he was fatally shot by police. ( GoFundMe: Jessica Marie Okeefe )

'If I could take it back, I would'

Barriss apologised to Finch's family as he was sentenced on Friday (local time), and said he takes full responsibility for what had happened.

"If I could take it back, I would, but there is nothing I can do," Barriss told the court.

"I am so sorry for that."

Barriss had made dozens of swatting calls before the one that led to Mr Finch's death.

He was "known as the guy on Twitter that is good at this", his attorney Richard Federico said.

Mr Federico described his client as a loner who "found solace in the gaming community" as he became a "serial swatter".

His best friend is someone he knows only online, his father died when he was young and his mother abandoned him, Mr Frederico said.

Prosecutors want to put an end to swatting in the gaming community. ( Flickr.com: Joshua Livingston (CC-BY-2.0) )

Law lagging behind technology

The plea deal under which Barriss was sentenced had called for a term of imprisonment of at least 20 years — well over the 10 years recommended under sentencing guidelines.

US District Judge Eric Melgren said the case had gone into "uncharted legal territory", that the law has not caught up with technology and the charges did not address the severity of what had happened.

The intended target in Wichita — Shane Gaskill, 20 — and the man who allegedly recruited Barriss — Casey Viner, 19 — were charged as co-conspirators.

Authorities said when Mr Gaskill noticed Barriss was following him on Twitter, he taunted him to "try something".

Mr Viner and Mr Gaskill pleaded not guilty to charges including conspiracy to obstruct justice and wire fraud.

Mr Viner intends to change that plea at an upcoming hearing while Mr Gaskill's trial has been delayed until April amid plea talks with prosecutors.

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No charges for officer who shot Finch

Outside the courthouse, Mr Finch's sister Dominica Finch said Barriss got what he deserved, but that she also wants to see police held accountable.

Mr Finch's family have sued the city of Wichita and the officer involved.

Prosecutors declined to charge that officer.

Police said the officer who shot Mr Finch thought he was reaching for a gun because he moved a hand toward his waistband.

Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett defended the decision.

"I am very much sympathetic to the Finch family, but at the end of the day my determination has to be in what the law allows," Mr Bennett said.

Lisa Finch, Andrew Finch's mother, said her son was not a gamer. ( AP/The Wichita Eagle: Bo Rader )

'Swatting … is not a prank'

Barriss' prosecution in Wichita consolidated other federal cases that had been filed against him in California and the District of Columbia involving similar calls and threats.

Mr Bennett said he would dismiss state charges, including involuntary manslaughter, because Barriss would be given more prison time from the federal charges than he would in state court.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation recognised swatting as an emerging threat as early as 2008, noting it had become commonplace among gamers.

"We hope that this will send a strong message about swatting, which is a juvenile and senseless practice," US Attorney Stephen McAllister, the federal prosecutor, told reporters.

"We'd like to put an end to it within the gaming community. Swatting … is not a prank."

In other cases of apparent swatting, three families in Florida in 2017 had to evacuate their homes after a detective received an anonymous email claiming bombs had been placed at the address.

A 20-year-old Maryland man was shot in the face with rubber bullets by police in 2015 after a fake hostage situation was reported at his home.

Katherine Clark, a Massachusetts Democrat, introduced an anti-swatting bill in 2015 — then was herself the victim of swatting. Armed officers in 2016 responded to an anonymous call claiming an active shooter was at Ms Clark's home.

ABC/AP