A harrowing turn of events has left a young man in the hospital after being shot during a failed prank; YouTuber Tanner Cook, who owns a channel called Classified Goons, filmed a prank video at their local mall involving asking questions strangers through Google Translate. A friend of Cook’s family filmed the entire ordeal. Cook began asking a man some simple questions, placing the phone that was recording him close to the man’s face. That’s when the man, finding the phone intrusive, pulled a gun on the YouTuber and shot him in the stomach, placing him in critical care.
The shooter was identified as Alan Colie, who was shortly after arrested and taken into custody for armed assault with a weapon. Despite the potentially deadly incident in the wake of the failed prank, Cook has told his father and his fans that he will keep making YouTube prank videos despite the issue. While the accident in the mall in Virginia is disturbing, Cook has released a video speaking on the issue from his hospital bed to make his statements clear.
The Aftermath
Prank videos have been around since almost the genesis of YouTube. While not quite as old as other formats, pranks are the endless content stream that almost anyone can find loads of today. And while prank videos are still popular on the internet today, now with the rise of multiple social media platforms, some channels and individuals entirely dedicate their effort to the content format. The incident in Virginia is a stark reminder that sometimes pranking does come with inherent risk. While it was a simple joke that Cook had within his rights to achieve, you never know who you’re working with when you play practical jokes on strangers.
The accident gives a good reminder to content creators everywhere to stay safe and stay aware while filming these kinds of videos. While some kind of jokes may be good for some, others may not take so kindly to particular senses of humor.