--- title: "YouTuber Gets Shot for Prank, Pledges to Keep Making More Prank Videos" description: "A YouTube prankster has been shot in the abdomen at a Virginia mall after a stranger didn't take kindly to his latest prank." date: "2023-04-08" modified: "2023-04-08" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/youtuber-gets-shot-prank" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "pranks" - "the digest" - "YouTube" --- # YouTuber Gets Shot for Prank, Pledges to Keep Making More Prank Videos ![A YouTube prankster has been shot in the abdomen at a Virginia mall after a stranger didn't take kindly to his latest prank.]() *\Image: Tanner Cook\* ## Prank Memes A YouTube prankster — who likes to [harass minimum wage workers]() at fast food restaurants, [pretend to vomit on Uber drivers](), and [anger strangers]() for no apparent reason — has been shot in the abdomen at a Virginia mall, local CBS News affiliate [*WUSA* reports](), after a stranger didn't take kindly to his latest prank. Worst of all, the 21-year-old Tanner Cook told the station that he's ready to get right back to harassing the public after his recovery. Which, while we admire his chutzpah, *might* not be quite the right takeaway. "I was playing a prank, a simple practical joke, and this guy didn't take it very well and shot me," Cook told *WUSA*. Cook's father later [told *Insider*]() that Cook's prank involved Google translate, with the YouTuber having "his phone in his face and he didn't appreciate it." Look, nobody deserves to get shot. But if your whole bit is just antagonizing people in public — and then one of them literally shoots you — maybe it's time to reevaluate your life choices. ## Out of Control The trend of young folks playing cruel pranks on strangers for the sake of online notoriety has escalated over the years, with a 19-year-old YouTuber [being charged]() with making "terroristic threats" after a knife prank backfired at an airport earlier this year. YouTube celebrity David Dobrik has also made a name for himself by profiting off of the trauma of other people. Last year, fellow YouTuber Jeff Wittek [sued Dobrik]() following a life-threatening stunt involving an excavator. Bottom line? Profiting off of the misery of strangers is never okay. In short, the sooner online pranking culture goes away, the better — though nobody should resort to physical violence to make that happen. We wish him a speedy recovery. **More on pranks:** *[Physicist Apologizes for Fooling Public Into Thinking a Picture of Chorizo Was a Star]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()