[kscherer]

Hmmm.

Things are explaining themselves …

[psmith2.0]

Wow, this really sucks. I'm glad the person who did this is getting time in the can.

IDGAF what his age was/is.

A 60-year-old Tennessee man died after he was "swatted" by people who wanted him to give up his Twitter handle. The incident happened in April 2020 after the swatter called police to report a fake murder at Mark Herring's Summer County home. Law enforcement swarmed Herring's property with their guns drawn, his family said Thursday. Herring, who was shocked and confused, suffered a massive heart attack and died. "I believe he was scared to death," his daughter Corinna Herring Fitch said in a phone interview. "I believe from the adrenaline and the guns in his face ... a heart attack happened." One of the swatters involved, Shane Sonderman, was sentenced Wednesday to five years in prison. Authorities said Sonderman was a minor at the time of Herring's death but turned 18 after his arrest. He was charged as an adult with wire fraud/conspiracy, interstate communication of threats, false information and hoaxes, and conspiracy.

Once again, social media squarely at the center of someone being a moron and/or cunt.

I wasn't sure in Tennessee where it happened (I assumed it wasn't near me; I surely would've heard about such local idiocy). Sure enough, Summer County is northeast of Nashville, a good 2-3 hours north from where I am.

For a Twitter handle, folks. All this for a Twitter handle. Somebody is dead. But, hey...at least he didn't choke himself to death, right?

I sure hope all that is worth five years of involuntary butt-fucking, Shane. You be sure to let us know, junior. Because your sweet 18-year-old ass is about to make a carton of cigarettes look like a lump of coal on Christmas morning.

[kscherer]

Sounds like not enough time, to me. Commission of a crime resulting in death? I noticed manslaughter/murder wasn't in there. Should have been.

[psmith2.0]

Yeah, I'm thinking 12-15 years, fully served, is more appropriate, in light of someone actually dying from his nonsense.

Again, a Twitter handle. That's what all this is hinging on/centered around. Think about that.

Even if it all didn't go horribly sideways (the guy dying), it would soon be realized it was a fake/false call and the intended victim wouldn't be arrested or going to jail, so his Twitter handle wasn't going anywhere ultimately. So was this just "punishment", then? An awful "I'll show him" prank? I guess so. What happened to toilet-papering the yard?

[PB PM]

I just keep asking myself, ‘what is wrong with people?’ No answers are coming. Why do the authorities not do some investigating before they storm into some random persons home? They must know that swatting is a thing by now.

[psmith2.0]

In a legit situation, investigating/delaying might result in something awful happening. I don't know the answer. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

If a legitimate call was made to police/S.W.A.T. and they delayed or took extra time to ensure it wasn't a hoax, and some kids got molested/murdered or a wife was killed or whatever the case, then everyone would come out of the woodwork crying about that.

"You were told there was imminent danger and because you delayed, these six people were killed!", etc.

You know that's a thing. People would hound/armchair quarterback them from that direction.

"You should've known it was legit! And if you busted in and it wasn't, then we're still going to put you on the hook for damaged property, causing undue alarm and a medical emergency! Because we want it both ways! We don't do your job, but we're going to sit here and judge, second-guess and demand ESP powers of your department!"



They couldn't predict the guy was going to get that agitated/stressed and keel over from a heart attack, but it still doesn't fall on S.W.A.T., his death. The person going to jail is the reason all this unfolded.

Is "swatting" a thing? I'd never really heard of it until seeing this article today. I'm sure people have falsely called the cops on others over the years, but I guess what you call about (and your tone, and the details you provide) determine if a lone officer or a S.W.A.T. team (with dogs and helicopters) show up. This idiot called about a (fake) murder, so they knew that wasn't a single-officer "welfare check" type of thing.

I don't know how they differentiate between a legit call and a hoax, but, given the two choices I guess it's better to show up and hope any innocent, pranked homeowners don't die from the excitement/fear?

I don't know.

Thing is, none of this has to be a thing, or figured out, had that little bastard not made the call. So, no matter what, it goes back to him. And that's why I'm glad he's paying a price for it. I'm betting he thought, at one point, his youth would shield him from hard time. Nope. You do something awful enough, your butt goes in with all the other lowlifes and criminals.

Moral of the story? Don't make fake calls to the cops or create a fake emergency/crisis situation. You might get in some trouble. The reason, and your age, be damned.

[turtle]

Yeah, swatting is a thing.

It made pretty major public attention in the 2017 incident listed in Wikipedia. I'm guessing though, the number of false claims is minuscule compared to real threats though. Swat teams have to assume everything is real.

[709]

A couple of years ago a kid got 20 years in prison for this sort of thing, all from a 'Call of Duty' bet iirc.

[edit]: Turtle beat me to it. ⬆️

[PB PM]

Originally Posted by turtle Yeah, swatting is a thing. It made pretty major public attention in the 2017 incident listed in Wikipedia. I'm guessing though, the number of false claims is minuscule compared to real threats though. Swat teams have to assume everything is real.

Sure, but the most notable cases were all started from out of state phone numbers. Think that would be a red flag. “Yeah, I see some guy killing a little girl!”. Dispatcher, “oh we’ll send the SWAT team right away. Oh wait, you live 500 miles away, how do you know that?”

[psmith2.0]

Yeah, obvious stuff like that has to be factored in (although with cell phones, someone can have a area code not in the area the call is coming from). As turtle says, S.W.A.T. teams have to assume everything is real, because, in actuality, they usually are.

Until "swatting"/hoaxes become a true, ongoing, happens-all-the-time thing, they're gonna suit up and do their job. If it's a mistake or hoax, apologies, repairs, handshakes, etc. will be forthcoming and everyone can just chill the hell out and get over it (with, hopefully, nobody accidentally dying of a heart attack).

Again, it's far worse, IMO, if there was a legit crime taking place and, out of fear or not wanting to be "wrong", law enforcement just dismissed it and didn't do their job (or dragged their feet and swung by Wendy's for a Frosty on the way to the scene while people were getting axed in a basement). Screw that. Plenty of time afterwards, if it's a hoax/prank, to make things right.

[psmith2.0]

PS - The person who died from my original post above, his Twitter handle was "@tennessee".



I can't imagine waking up tomorrow morning and the biggest thing on my plate was worrying/being upset over what some stranger I couldn't care less about, and will never meet, has as their Twitter handle.

That's a level of no-life-having, low-rent rudderless existence that I hope to never know.

The idiot needs to be in jail for that alone.

Am I to assume there are 49 other unfortunate souls out there at risk for this kind of harassment/idiocy because they're "@alaska", "@minnesota", "@rhodeisland", etc.?

[kscherer]

Two things:

1) That Twitter handle is worth a lot of money (the story said the guy had been offered money for it before) and the perp was trying to extort it so he could sell the handle to the top bidder.

2) Cell phones give their GPS coordinates to Emergency Services so they know the locations of cellphone callers.

[psmith2.0]

I wish I would've been thinking and snagged @tennessee a decade or so ago. I would've gladly sold it to whatever misguided fool wanted to pay me some crazy sum for it. I'm not even on Twitter, what do I care?

What kind of money are we talking about for stupid shit like this? $75 and a case of Michelob? Four figures? Five? Surely not six or more? Please don't tell me "millions".

[kscherer]

I suspect it's worth a lot of cheddar. I don't follow Twitter handles, but domain names can sell for millions, so you never know. Some Twitter-twat may have enough money and ego to unload a ton of money.

I mean, what if you were Tennessee Williams or something like that? Or a retired governor? or some other ego-stuffed super-something that needed that handle for your padding?

[kscherer]

I suspect it's worth a lot of cheddar (dude was willing to "kill" for it, after all). I don't follow Twitter handles, but domain names can sell for millions, so you never know. Some Twitter-twat may have enough money and ego to unload a ton of money.

I mean, what if you were Tennessee Williams or something like that? Or a retired governor? Or some other ego-stuffed super-something that needed that handle for your padding?

[Ryan]

They're worth a LOT. Common words or short handles ("OG handles") can command princely sums on the black market. Same on Instagram.

Tens of thousands at least. Hundreds of thousands isn't out of the realm of possibility.

[psmith2.0]

Wow! I had no idea. I was like “$3,500, maybe?”

Peoples is nuts.

[Ryan]

It's a big problem. The platforms devote a lot of resources to fending off takeovers of those accounts but it's a game of cat and mouse.

[psmith2.0]

Yet another senseless, completely avoidable death connected to rampant look-at-me-ism.



This one kinda sucks a little extra because unlike many "influencer" types (young, single, etc.), this one actually leaves behind some kids.

Xiao Qiumei, an influencer from China, reportedly died after falling from a 160-foot tower crane while recording herself for a social media video in the city of Quzhou, China. The Sun reported that the 23-year-old was speaking into a camera in what appears to be a crane cabin when she fell. Xiao was known for regularly sharing videos of her job as a crane operator on social media.

Her first mistake.

I'd think, at 160 feet up, your main priority should be focusing on the job, your surroundings, being aware of any dangers/risks, etc. It was probably only a matter of time before it all went sideways and caught up with her.

Everyone's a good lion tamer for a few weeks, right? But, at some point, you're probably going to get some teeth in your neck.

Footage obtained by the outlet shows the camera suddenly switched to blurry images of equipment flying past the lens.

I bet it did.

The Sun reported that witnesses saw Xiao fall to the ground with her phone still in her hand...

Priorities. That she had her phone in her hand automatically means she was using one less arm/hand to grip a rail, secure herself, support her weight while moving about, etc. She chose "look at me" over safety (and surely violating the onsite rules/regulations for her occupation as well...companies don't want that risk/liability hanging over them. "Hey, do your livestream and selfie stuff on your own time, not on our property with our equipment!"

"When hundreds of feet off the ground, make sure you're climbing, moving around and positioning yourself with a phone in your hand for maximum riskiness and accident potential" is probably not in the training materials.

Xiao was the mother of two children and a tower crane operator. According to the Sun, the family confirmed her death, stating that she fell as a result of a misstep.

Yes, because she was fucking around with her phone in a situation/environment where it wasn't safe to do so. But try explaining that to Generation Look-At-Me. Good luck.

Hey, if sharing these "stupid deaths" here keeps just one of you from strangling yourself to death or falling off the Eiffel Tower in pursuit of the perfect selfie, then it's worth it.

[kscherer]

I don't know, man. The Eiffel Tower? Might be worth it.

[PB PM]

The world loses nothing when a social media nut gets a Darwin award. Likely a good thing for the kids in the long run. Yes that sounds heartless, but that's how strongly I feel about it.

[kscherer]

It does set an example, doesn't it?

"Hey, kids, do this stupid thing and die!"



But, are we glorifying death somehow?

"Hey, kids! Since you ain't ever gonna be nothin', why not get your 15 seconds of fame by taking your own life, albeit "accidentally"."

Yeah, when a social media twit pops off for doing something dumb, it's hard to get upset about it. Alas, the trend is on the rise, and I wonder if the short-lived fame is attractive to some lesser-brained folks? It's not a good thing.

Kids are clearly needing positive attention, and it's increasingly obvious they aren't getting it at home.

[psmith2.0]

I think about this a bit. Odd times created by these outlets. Internet "fame" has to be some powerful draw, no doubt. People, by nature, want to join in/participate and be part of "what's going on". I get that. It's when the stupid/dangerous stuff enters in that I just start to lose hope. And empathy/understanding.

That's a character flaw on my part, I guess...lack of patience with stupidity. Do they have a 12-step program for that?

Duck pout, stupid-dance and react to movie trailers all you want. Those won't kill you. But don't attention-whore yourself to death (literally). What a stupid, preventable way to go.

I was thinking about that crane operator last night, and how her children will eventually know of her death and the way it came about. Not breast cancer, not a drunk driver, not murdered by a jealous ex (or the town psychopath). But fooling around and being unsafe for some social media attention. As with strangle boy upthread, that has to hurt those left behind more/deeper than "legit", expected causes. Because those are easily avoided and didn't have to happen. It's the senselessness of it that gets me.

If you're gonna die young, have it be from something tragic that you can't avoid/prevent (disease, accident, act of violence). Don't help it along by being a dumb-ass and actually bringing it about. I know we can't choose when we go, but we can certainly do things to help it not happen now, this minute. Starting with a) don't strangle yourself, and b) don't fuck around with a phone in your hand 160 feet off the ground. Go from there.

I know some think I'm just being an asshole here, but I'm not. As someone with a 16 and 18-year-old niece and nephew, raised on iPhones and both on all the usual social media outlets, it's something I think/worry about. They're pretty dialed-in and level-headed, I have to say. But I was also 16-18 once and the lure to do things "because everyone else is" is very powerful.

And now more than ever. We're way past the point to where hijinks and antics are limited to your little social circle (or even your school). It's a planet-wide stage we're all on at this point, 24/7, with the tap of a few buttons. I hope my sister and her husband have raised the kids to not be dumb-asses so they won't do some of these things so I won't have to go to their funeral. In theory, I'll go way before they do.

[drewprops]

I don't know why I've turned so soft, but I am generally sad when I hear about one of these deaths.

Sad that the person didn't know better.

Sad that they didn't escape death and learn caution, instead of losing it all.

Sad for their families.

The times when it's harder for me to be sad is when someone goes to great effort to do something foolhardy - when their own demise is premeditated and entirely preventable.

Instead of following a sudden impulse, they methodically plan out a dangerous course of action that carries risk of death.

If they're loud and ugly while doing it, it's even easier to feel satisfied that they had opened the door to Death and walked it inside the house.



...

[psmith2.0]

I'm half sad (any kid dying, regardless of the reason, is awful).

But I'm also half exasperated and like "okay, at what point do people stop being boneheaded?"

Yeah, it sucks.

We get all pearl-clutchy, handwringing and "concerned" when Judas Priest music allegedly causes a couple of Beavis & Butthead types to blow their heads off with a shotgun. Or when people act out violent video game-like fantasies (shooting up schools and grocery stores).

Where's that outrage/concern for these stupid deaths? Is it just a matter of nobody wants to be called "boomer", and/or realizing that toothpaste has long since left the tube and "why bother"?

I don't know.

[kscherer]

There's no rage, because "They died doing what they love to do!"

That's the explanation I keep hearing. Wing-suit accidents, climbing accidents, social media accidents. The all died "doing what they love to do."

Well, so do heroin addicts.

[kscherer]

Crash-em-up-Derby in Utah

I'm going to offer you all a piece of advice:

If visibility suddenly drops to something close to zero, please, do not trust your mad driving skilz! Do yourself a favor and pull off the road as far as is safe to do. Otherwise, those who do trust their mad driving skilz are going to be sharing your seat, or you theirs.

This is just tragic.

By the way, it takes an 18-wheeler about five times longer to stop than it takes you, so the one sharing your seat may be a 12-liter, 6-cylinder diesel engine weighing in at over a ton! Have a look at that photo. Many of the vehicles hung up in there are 18-wheelers, and those guys don't stop for anything. When you finally decide to "slow down" one of them is going to pile-drive you into next year, and then another is going to pile drive the cars sandwiched between them, and so on.

And then a bunch of little kids are going to die because no one wanted to be the first to pull over.

[psmith2.0]

I saw that online yesterday. Yikes. Scary stuff.

About 30 years ago there was a huge wreck on I-75, north of Chattanooga about 1/3 the way to Knoxville. It was caused by fog and a ton of cars collided. There were several deaths and a bunch of injuries, I remember. That area always had fog problems and one morning it all went horribly sideways.

EDIT: Ah, it has its own Wikipedia entry.

Sounds like something similar happened in Utah...sudden drop in visibility/conditions and everyone just turned into bumper cars.

About 15 or so years ago I'd driven up to Nashville to see the Brian Setzer Orchestra's Christmas show at the Ryman Auditorium (I was in heaven...my favorite guitarist/musician + my favorite music venue). Afterwards I drove the two-plus hours back to Chattanooga, late (well after 11pm, midnight ET/Chattanooga time). About halfway between Chattanooga and Nashville is Monteagle Mountain, which I-24 climbs up and drops down on both sides. It's notorious for its steep grade and iffy weather at the crest/peak, with several runaway truck ramps/pulloffs, etc. Anyway I'm climbing it on my way home and BOOM...sleet and fog as thick as a quilt. I could see the hood of my car and about 15 feet in front of that. No warning, I just came into that elevation where everything was happening. I wasn't worried about my driving/response. I'd slowed down, I could see the lines on the road, etc. I missed the two exits or I would've pulled off and gone to a Waffle House for a while, so I just got in the slow lane, hunched on the wheel and took it slow and easy, knowing that I'd drop down the other side in another 5-10 minutes to clear visibility. I didn't want to pull onto the shoulder because any trucks having trouble would go there to try and get to the runaway ramps and I'd be splatted all over the place. I knew there wasn't another safe exit/pulloff for another 5-6 miles (off the other side of the mountain, down in the valley...at which point I wouldn't need it anyway). Anyway, I just hunkered down and cut a deal: "if I get off this mountain in one piece, I'll drive the speed limit the final hour to Chattanooga". I did, and I did. I wasn't worried about me, but my eyes looked in the rear view about 7,200 times for any approaching headlights (car or 18-wheeler). Fortunately it looked like everyone got the message and was doing what I did...slowed WAY down and focused until they crested the mountain and dropped down to the other side. I never saw another vehicle until I was down off the mountain in dry, clear conditions again. That was the closest "oh crap, I might not make it home tonight" situation I've ever been in, before or since. I just knew some no-driving bastard was going to plow into me but I never saw a soul. I think everyone was spread out and just had their own three lanes to operate for a little while. On that downward slope, when the air started to clear and I could actually see in front of me, I was so happy/relieved. It's terrifying to be driving along and suddenly WHAM...zero visibility, sleet and stuff blowing sideways. I couldn't work my wipers or headlights in any way that helped with either, just looking out ahead and the 10-15 feet worth of lines on the road. My choices were "drive really slow and hope for the best, or pull off the road and hope to God some truck hasn't lost its brakes and obliterates me and my car trying to make it to the runaway ramp". I chose the former. Looking back, I would've gone UP the on ramp to Waffle House and waited to see if things improved. This was pre-iPhone, so I didn't have anything with me to give me an idea on the weather like I do now. "If I can just keep myself on those lines, no matter how slow, I'll be okay...I just need 15 or so feet of visibility to make it!" I was talking to myself like a crazy person the entire time! Self pep-talks, deal-making, weighing my options out loud, "you got it, there's the line...stay on that, check the mirror...", etc.

I've come to hate driving, I truly have. It's just no fun anymore, at any level. Only when I'm out in the country/middle of nowhere and just cruising and looking at cool barns/farmhouses and pretty scenery am I happy in a car. Otherwise it's just a "get from here to there" necessary chore...redlights, traffic, shitty roads, awful drivers, construction everywhere around town, etc. Everyone's messing with their phones, crossing over into my lane, rolling through stop signs/redlights, not using their signals, tailgating, pulling out in front of me and going 12mph, bright-lighters, slowpokes, speed demons, double-parkers, parking lot Earnhardts, brake-riders, etc. Bastards, all. I now take the surface streets/backroads anytime I can, avoiding the freeways/interstate as much as possible. If something goes wrong, at least it'll be a 30-45mph impact, vs. 70-80mph. I simply don't trust my fellow humans enough at this point to share the freeway/interstate with their irresponsible, distracted asses. Too many close calls and sphincter-clenching moments in recent years.

[drewprops]

I learned the lesson from my dad about the value of taking back roads and enjoy them immensely. One of my absolute pleasures is an annual day trip to the wilds of Alabama, through deeply rural landscapes. Trees so green they're black. Cars spaced out so far that they might as well not even matter.



...

[psmith2.0]

I do it as often as I can. My Dad and I have settled into this nice pattern where about two Saturdays a month we get out and do that very thing. And he drives, which is the only time in my life I get to just sit in the passenger seat and be a spectator/passenger.

It's become my favorite way to spend a morning/afternoon. We've been all over northeast Georgia (and eastern Tennessee) in recent months. We don't set foot on the interstate. I've seen so many amazing houses/cabins, barns and silos, tractors, old trucks, old stores, signage/billboards, two-light towns, natural scenery, farmland, rolling hills, mountains, valleys, rivers, etc. And I've eaten some of the tastiest food...you can't beat those little mom-and-pop, small town meat-and-three joints with a plump old woman working the kitchen. You know it's gonna be good.