Two young men, one from the UK and another from the US, have been charged with “Swatting” Tyran Dobbs, who was shot in the head and chest with rubber bullets by police after his home was raided.
As The Independent reports, in early 2015 20-year-old Tyran Dobbs was woken by police, who had entered his apartment after receiving a hoax 911 call that is alleged to have come from 21 year-old Briton Robert McDaid, impersonating Dobbs and claiming to be holding three hostages, who he would kill if he was not delivered $15,000.
Accounts of what happened next differ—Dobbs’ family claim the police used unnecessary force while the official report paints a very different picture—but the facts are that, after exiting his bedroom, Dobbs was shot twice by police using rubber bullets, once in the chest and once between the eyes.
McDaid has this week been charged with making the call, along with American Zachary Lee, who is accused of being the one originally asking McDaid for his help with the Swatting. The pair are reported to have met and communicated via unspecified online games.
The pair’s charges include conspiracy to produce false information and hoax, and if found guilty they face a maximum 20-year prison sentence.