October 2nd 2023.
On April 2, 2023, tragedy struck Dulles Town Center in Virginia. A prank gone wrong led to 21-year-old Tanner Cook being shot. Cook had a YouTube channel called “Classified Goons” where he posted his pranks on unsuspecting people. The gunman, 31-year-old Alan Colie, pleaded not guilty to the charges of aggravated malicious wounding.
After a five hour jury deliberation, Colie was found not guilty of the most serious charges but guilty of a lesser firearms count. Colie’s lawyer, Adam Pouilliard, argued that his client acted in self-defense. Pouilliard argued that Colie felt threatened by Cook who stands at 6 foot 5 and that he was trying to provoke a reaction to post on his YouTube channel.
The court was shown a video of the incident, which lasted around 30 seconds. It showed Cook approaching Colie as he gets a food order, with Colie becoming scared and backing away. Cook continued to follow him, so Colie pulled his weapon and shot him.
The case is not over yet, as Colie is still in jail and his attorney has asked the judge to set aside the conviction. A judge will hear arguments at a hearing next month. Whatever the decision, it is clear that this incident was a tragedy that could have been avoided.
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