Man acquitted by US jury after shooting YouTube prankster Tanner Cook
YouTube: Classified GoonsA man has been found “not guilty” after shooting prank YouTuber Tanner Cook after the content creator followed him around a mall in Virginia.
With the age of social media, prank videos have risen in popularity as content creators find success in filming real-life practical jokes.
But with these pranks often involving unsuspecting members of the public, sometimes things end in unpredictable ways. YouTube prankster Tanner Cook found this out the hard way after a video he was filming went wrong, resulting in the creator getting shot in the Dulles Town Center Mall, Virginia.
Now his shooter, 31-year-old food delivery driver Alan Colie, has been acquitted of the main charge against him by a US jury.
Footage of the incident shows Cook approaching Colie in the mall with a mobile phone held up to the delivery driver’s face. As the phone repeated a “silly” recording, Colie backed away and told Cook to stop three times before pulling out the gun after about 20 seconds.
Cook, who runs the YouTube channel ‘Classified Goons,’ had to have his gallbladder removed during surgery following the shooting, yet Colie was found “not guilty” on the basis of self-defense.
The verdict came after approximately five hours of deliberation, with charges of aggravated malicious wounding and malicious discharge ultimately acquitted. However, Colie still faces charges of shooting into an occupied dwelling, for which he faces up to 10 years in prison.
Talking to WUSA9, Cook said he plans to continue making videos for YouTube and doesn’t care about the verdict; “It’s God’s plan at the end of the day.”
Many on social media have jumped to Colie’s defense, stating Cook “got what he deserved” for harassing a stranger.
One person wrote on Twitter, “Hopefully we’re nearing the end of the period where some people think you can be as horrible as you like to others in public, as long as you film it and call it a ‘prank.’”
We’ll be sure to update you as the story progresses. Check out all the latest entertainment news on our page here.