YouTuber Injured in Mall Shooting During Prank

Over the weekend, a 21-year-old man was shot and wounded while making a video for his prank-focused YouTube channel at a mall in Virginia.

Tanner Cook was shot in the stomach and brought to the critical care unit.

According to the authorities, Cook was shot by Alan Colie, 31, of Leesburg, Virginia. Several crimes have now been brought against Colie.

On camera, cops from Loudoun County can be seen making their way toward Colie as he lies on the ground to arrest him.

Jeramy Cook, Cook’s father, said that his son was creating a hoax film for his YouTube channel.

Here is a tweet below which confirms the news of shooting:

“They had a phone that was in his face, and they were trying to do a Google Translate prank,” Jeramy Cook said. “I’m sure they were saying something to him that wasn’t, you know, making him laugh or he wasn’t enjoying it. And so, he got mad and he shot my son.”

Cook said that his kid’s movies sometimes have a bit of an edge to them, but he insisted that his son has never assaulted anybody.

“I know that sometimes in having fun that things go too far, but you know, he’s not physically hurting anybody,” Cook said. “He’s just trying to be a goofball.”

Attorney Christopher Brown said the defendant may claim that he felt like he was being abused in regard to whether Cook had lawfully violated any bounds.

“It’s not the worst argument in the world when someone approaches you and reaches out at you with an object in their hand,” Brown said. “You know, officers use this all the time as a defense in police shooting cases: ‘When he pulled his hand out, I thought it was a gun, but it was a cellphone.’”

Tanner Cook is not currently facing any charges, although prosecutors may decide to do so.

“I’m trying to lead by example here and say that I forgive the man who shot my kid,” Jeramy Cook told the shooting suspect.

He claimed his kid will put his rehabilitation first for the time being and stop watching YouTube.

Get ahead of the curve by accessing breaking news and insightful articles on californiaexaminer.net – start exploring today!

Click on the following links for more news from the California Examiner:

Scroll to Top