YouTube prankster vs CCW. Guess who lost?

[Elkins45]

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-new...after-youtube-video-prank-goes-wrong-n1256940

The gist of the story is that a 20 year old idiot and his idiot friend ran up carrying butcher knives to some people in a parking lot as part of a prank for their YouTube channel. One of those people, unaware it was a prank, feared for his life and therefore shot and killed said idiot. As of the time of the story no charges have been filed against the 23 year old shooter.

Given the idiocy that garners clicks on YouTube and TikTok I’m surprised this doesn’t happen more often. I wonder if there any lessons to be learned from this as concealed carriers?

 

[GooseGestapo]

Ability, opportunity, jeopardy...
Three elements necessary to justify use of deadly force.
Someone running at you with a knife otherwise unbeknownst to you, constitutes all three.


The gamers need to know that not everyone are “playing games”

 

[Roverguy]

Well. That sucks hard for everybody. The stupidity of the prank is mind-boggling. The poor guy who shot the idiot. The idiot’s poor family. The idiot. Everyone. What a mess.

As the father of a 19 yo boy, who has at times exhibited gross stupidity, I can only hope he is beyond this level of dumb. At the very least, he is well aware that people carry firearms and will use them when their life is threatened.

 

[Jim Watson]

Two years ago, I remember reading about it at the time.

"Stupidity is the only universal capital crime."
Heinlein.

 

[Barbaroja]

That’s a shame someone died is such a foolish situation. I feel bad for all involved. That said, makes me think of the old saying “ Play stupid games, win stupid prizes”

 

[ms6852]

I'm surprised both of them did not get killed.

 

[Ks5shooter]

As stupid as the prankster was,the shooter although should not be criminally charged will be facing a civil suit from idiots family. Not to mention shooter mentally dealing with having to shoot someone.An honest law abiding gun owner will take it on the chin .

 

[CDW4ME]

Stranger running toward me with a knife in a parking lot is an excellent way to get shot.

 

[earlthegoat2]

Guess who lost?

As usual. Everyone.

 

[rust collector]

Scaring someone to death (and it has happened, courtesy of myocardial infarct) was never a good idea. Tiktok or youtube will never be a defense. There is no such thing as a good shoot.

 

[Bfh_auto]

Scaring someone to death (and it has happened, courtesy of myocardial infarct) was never a good idea. Tiktok or youtube will never be a defense. There is no such thing as a good shoot.

I totally agree. Scary pranks aren't really funny.
No matter how "bad" or stupid the person is. There is someone who loves him. The surviver has to live with having killed someone.
Until it happens people don't truly know what affect it will have on their headspace.

 

[lightman]

Sorry for all involved. But the saying "play stupid games win stupid prizes" is sometimes real. With all of the knife attacks in the news recently you have to wonder what they were thinking. If I were on the jury I would not be able to find the shooter guilty. Nor would I be able to award the family anything in a civil charge.

I watch a few funny things on Utube. There are several where a group of kids bait thieves with bikes, purses, phones, ect. Its a wonder that some of the victims have not retaliated. Another one is a clown running around kicking citizens in the n**s! Seems like assault to me and another good way to get shot.

 

[Craig_AR]

EDIT 2/5/23: I missed the detail that the story of the idiot prankster was from early 2021, so coupled with the change in TN law to permitless carry happened in late 2021, my original comment, below, is WRONG>
I am sorry about that, Chief.


Did we really have to wait until February for the first Darwin Award winner of 2023?
Also, from, the linked NBC News article:

Metropolitan Nashville police could not be reached by phone or email on Saturday to provide additional details, including the status of the friend who was with Wilks at the time of his death and whether Starnes had a gun permit.

(emphasis added)
Nice journalism, NBC: Tennessee has permitless carry.

 

[jmorris]

Timothy Wilks, 20, was killed after he approached a group of people with butcher knives as part of a "prank" robbery, police said.

At 20 years old, this sounded like a good idea…?

Looks like a strong contender for the Darwin Award this year.

 

[Elkins45]

Did we really have to wait until February for the first Darwin Award winner of 2023?
Also, from, the linked NBC News article:

(emphasis added)
Nice journalism, NBC: Tennessee has permitless carry.

The story is from February of 2021 and TN hadn’t yet passed permitless carry. My bad for not checking before I posted it.

At 20 years old, this sounded like a good idea…?

This might be a good article for parents to share with their teenaged kids.

 

[sevt_chevelle]

Well...play stupid games win stupid prizes.

 

[jmorris]

This might be a good article for parents to share with their teenaged kids.

I was still in my single digit days when my Grandmother taught me to not scare certain people or even go near some.

 

[Jim Watson]

Right, I was warned not to frighten the cleaning lady while still in grammar school.

 

[hso]

The Nashville news has better information on this. The young man's grandmother asks that everyone be aware of what their kids are into and talk with them about the dangers of pranking for "fame" on social media.

 

[GBExpat]

Sounds to me like something that may have been preceded by, "Hey, hold my beer, I want to try something ... "

Guess who lost?

As usual. Everyone.

Ab-so-lute-ly.

=====

That shooter could have been me 45 years ago. After almost hearing something (?What was that?) at ~3am while working at the Front Desk in the Lobby of a VaB beachfront hotel I decided to make a quick security tour.

As I was approaching the door, hand extended reaching for the knob, to the lower lobby from the housekeeping department section in the basement, a racket started up from just on the other side.

Long story short, drunk young guy (about my age at the time) was out of money and needed bus fare to get back to Baltimore or somewhere in that area. Apparently, he found the bottom outside door of the north stairwell unlocked, thru that accessed the main kitchen and helped himself to a meat cleaver with which he was trying to chop off the padlock of at least one of the pinball machines in the lower lobby.

As I approached that door, he just happened to resume his work after a break. Thank God!

If I had opened that door and been faced by this fellow a few feet away with a meat cleaver ... <sigh>

I was in alert mode and carrying a .357mag. The result could have been very bad ... for both of us.

I met him in court a few months later. Seemed like a really nice guy who did something really stupid one night.

He got 6 months in jail. I thought about that PDB every single day of those 6 months.

 

[JERRY]

There's a saying for pranksters

 

[hoardingthemanual]

Good. God bless the shooter and if the “victim” deserves anything I’ll let God give it to him because I won’t.

 

[PzGren]

I do not want to appear un-Christian but that is a good example of what Darwin called survival of the fittest; they simply did not qualify.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

I do not want to appear un-Christian but that is a good example of what Darwin called survival of the fittest; they simply did not qualify.

I think its closer to "Natural Selection," but ya.

 

[Blue Jays]

The dead 20 y.o. guy, Timothy Wilks, made a truly remarkable series of very poor life decisions.
I feel bad for everyone. Most younger people would recognize that as a "bad idea" years earlier.