A YouTube prank went horribly wrong when Tanner Cook ended up getting shot.
Prank channels are big on YouTube. While the trend has died down a bit, it’s still quite common to see videos of YouTubers approaching random people on the street to catch their reactions on camera. A lot of these videos are scripted, but Cook decided to do it the old-fashioned way, resulting in a near-deadly reaction.
Over this past weekend, Cook went to the Dulles Town Center Mall in Sterling, Virginia, to record his pranks. But one of the altercations resulted in an argument in the food court. The shopper ended up shooting Cook. The YouTuber was rushed to the hospital, where he was treated for “serious” injuries to his stomach and liver.
YouTuber speaks from hospital bed after being shot while making prank video at mall
The 21-year-old prank YouTuber actually spoke with a local news channel about the incident. He said that he was “fine” and didn’t plan to stop doing prank videos. Classified Goons is the name of his YouTube channel, boasting over 40K subscribers. Many of his videos get well above 60,000 views.
“I was just playing a prank, a simple practical joke, and the guy didn’t take it very well and shot me,” Cook said.
It’s unclear what the prank actually was, but some viewers have stated that Cook was accusing people of being sex offenders and threatening to make a citizens arrest.
The shooter, Alan W. Colie, was charged with “aggravated malicious wounding” and using his firearm inside the mall. A lot of people have expressed sympathy for the aggressor and commented that they were frustrated that Cook planned to continue pranking people.
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