Four citizens went to the Wichita city council Tuesday to talk about recent officer-involved shooting deaths.
Lisa Finch, mother of Andrew Finch, said according to FBI statistics, the city’s ratio of one police shooting death for every 120 officers is eleven times higher than the national average. She asked how Wichita could be considered a safe community with regard to that statistic. 28-year-old Andrew Finch was killed by a police officer last December in a “swatting” incident. Other citizens asked for more information on the status of the lawsuit filed by the Finch family against the city. A family friend, Ann Jones, wanted to know how much taxpayer money was being spent to defend the city in the lawsuit.
The council has been unable to comment on the case because of the pending lawsuit. Mayor Jeff Longwell said the council and the community are grieving with the Finch family, and he offered to arrange a meeting between Lisa Finch and the city attorney.
A Los Angeles man, Tyler Barriss, is facing state charges in connection with the “swatting” call that led police to the Finch home on December 28, 2017. He pleaded guilty in November to federal charges relating to the Wichita incident and other false 911 calls around the country, and he will be sentenced in federal court on January 30th.
