WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – The Dec. 28, 2017, shooting of unarmed Andrew Finch in front his home by a Wichita police officer has become the largest and most costly swatting case in the nation.
Officials have said that officers feared Finch was reaching for a firearm when he was shot, not knowing that a hoaxer had reported a fake homicide and hostage situation at Finch’s home.
The incident has already cost the City of Wichita nearly $250,000 dollars in miscellaneous fees related to the case but could reach $25 million, per court documents.
In a lawsuit pretrial order, we are learning for the first time what Lisa Finch and the estate of Andrew Thomas Finch are claiming against the City of Wichita, Wichita police officer Justin Rapp, and Sgt. Benjamin Jonker.
According to the lawsuit, the plaintiffs are seeking to recover compensatory and punitive damages stemming from the actions of officer Rapp and the lack of action and direction by Sgt. Benjamin Jonker leading up to Finch’s fatal shooting.
The lawsuit says, while it is impossible to calculate a monetary amount sufficient to compensate for the loss of an innocent life, plaintiffs seek the following:
- Pain and Suffering: $10,500,000
- Medical & Burial: $19,315
- Lifetime Lost Earnings: $2,500,000
- Loss of Consortium: $10,500,000
- Punitives: $1,500,000 ($750,000 against Rapp, and $750,000 against Jonker)
Total – $25,019,315
The damages listed in the document reference Finch’s pain and suffering when shot by Rapp, mental anguish, attorney’s fees, and suffering and bereavement of the surviving Finch family.
The trial docket is set for Sept. 29, 2020 held by a jury in Wichita.
Lisa Finch is scheduled to speak to the city council later this week.
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