On Sunday, a YouTuber named Tanner Cook, who is known for his pranking videos on the “Classified Goons” channel, was shot at a mall in the Washington, D.C. area.
According to Cook, he was playing a prank when a man shot him without saying anything. The incident caused panic in the mall, and Cook was found outside with a gunshot wound to his abdomen.
The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office arrested 31-year-old Alan W. Colie for the shooting and charged him with aggravated malicious wounding, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and discharging a firearm within a building. Cook’s friend had recorded the incident, and the footage is being used as evidence in the investigation.
Cook spoke with CBS News’ Washington D.C. affiliate WUSA from the hospital, where he was being treated for his injuries. He described the shooting as a simple practical joke that the shooter didn’t take well.
On March 31, 2023, a shooting occurred at a mall in which a man named Colie was arrested by the police. The incident was recorded on video and has since gone viral on social media. The mall was closed for the remainder of the day following the shooting.
The man who was shot, Tanner Cook, is a member of a YouTube channel called “Classified Goons” which creates and films pranks in public places. It is unclear what prank Cook was attempting at the time of the shooting. The channel has 41.5K subscribers.
Cook’s father, Jeramy Cook, expressed that the YouTubers were simply trying to have fun and the shooting was unwarranted. According to WUSA, the two individuals did not know each other before the incident. Tanner Cook stated that he does not hold any animosity towards the shooter and will continue to make videos for the channel.
