YouTube star known for early interview with swatter Tyler Barris is coming to Wichita
A controversial YouTube star who became involved in the aftermath of the deadly 2017 Wichita swatting incident is coming to town on Friday.
Daniel Keem, better known as Keemstar, will be at Chicken N Pickle, 1240 N. Greenwich Road, from 7 to 8 p.m. on Friday for what’s being billed as a “fan meetup.”
The 37-year-old YouTuber is the host of a popular talk show called DramaAlert, where he reports on feuds in the online gaming community and among YouTube stars in general. His channel has 5.46 million subscribers.
If you know his name, it’s likely because you have a young YouTube viewer in your life or because you followed along closely with the Wichita swatting case that ended with the eventual conviction of swatter Tyler Barris. Andrew Finch, 28, was shot to death.
In December 2017, Barris made a fake emergency call following a dispute over a “Call of Duty World War II” game with a $1.50 wager, saying that a murder and hostage situation was taking place at a Wichita address, Finch’s home.
The police responded to the address, and Wichita police Officer Justin Rapp fired one shot at Finch from a rifle after Finch stepped out onto his front porch.
Police have said Finch didn’t comply with law enforcement commands; his family is suing the city. Finch wasn’t armed, didn’t play video games and was not involved in the gaming dispute.
Days after the incident, Keemstar got and posted an interview with the then-yet-to-be-identified Barris, who told him that he was involved in the incident but did not believe he was responsible for Finch’s death.
Keemstar has since taken credit online for helping to catch Barris, who in March was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison.
Rapp was cleared in the shooting but is now suing the city for more than $31,000 in wages he says he lost while he was kept from returning to his regular police duties.
This story was originally published December 19, 2019 at 10:37 AM.
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