“Prank Videos,” in which people play pranks to film and publicize their reactions, are steadily gaining popularity on YouTube. One such prank went horribly wrong and ended with the prankster in the hospital.
Note: This article originally appeared on April 5, we updated it on the 6th with new information.
What kind of YouTuber is he? The 21-year-old Tanner Cook is a member of the YouTube group “Classified Goons.” On their channel with 41,000 subscribers, they describe themselves as “just a bunch of goofballs.”
The videos of the Classified Goons mainly consist of “pranks.” In their most successful video, they teamed up with the controversial YouTuber JiDion and drew people’s attention to their own cameraman with the motto: Look, someone is filming you!
The pranks are generally quite harmless, albeit a little silly and somewhat uncomfortable. However, the videos rely on provoking a reaction from the victims. One video is titled: “Angry Guy Storms Toward the Camera.”
Now, one reaction went too far: The target of the prank pulled out a gun and shot the 21-year-old YouTuber in the stomach.
Cook: “I just played a simple prank”
How did the shooting happen? According to reports, Cook was shot during a shoot for the Classified Goons at the Dulles Town Center mall in Sterling, Virginia. He reportedly was hit in the stomach and liver.
The target of the Classified Goons is said to have been 31-year-old Alan W. Colie. However, he did not get angry, but silently pulled out his gun and shot.
How is the YouTuber doing? Cook was taken to the local hospital and operated on. In an exclusive interview with the news channel WUSA9, Cook said he is doing well. He seems to be taking the whole situation quite lightly:
I am doing well. I just played a prank, a simple joke, and that guy didn’t take it well and shot at me.
Tanner Cook via Kotaku
However, the 21-year-old does not want to stop: Posting videos is his passion, Cook told the news channel, and he plans to return to YouTube. He is expected to fully recover from his injuries.
What will happen to the shooter? The alleged perpetrator was arrested on-site. He is being investigated for aggravated assault, use of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and firing a weapon in a building.
An investigator from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office told the US site Kotaku:
We have the shooter in custody. We cannot release the name of the victim or the fact that the victim has a social media presence, which you might already know. We can only make limited statements, but the victim is still in the hospital.
The video recorded during the incident has been handed over to investigators. A preliminary court hearing in the case has been scheduled for early May.
Update April 6, 12:35 – According to information from the news channel WUSA9, Cook reportedly followed the shooter, held his phone to his face, and played the message: “I think you smell” via Google Translate.
The YouTuber, who is said to no longer be in the intensive care unit, may now have to answer for harassment himself (via YouTube).
It is not the first time a prank in the USA has ended with the use of firearms. In 2017, a 28-year-old was shot after two CoD players got into an argument, and one wanted to send the police over as a joke. 5 years later, the case was settled:
Swatting: 28-Year-Old Shot Over a $2 Bet in Call of Duty – The Family Now Receives $5 Million
