STERLING, Va. — A trial for the alleged gunman who police say shot a YouTuber who was filming a prank video at Dulles Town Center on April 2 started Monday. Jury selection took up much of the day.
Editor's Note: The video above aired on May, 3, 2023.
This case went viral not because there was a shooting, but because the victim makes a living playing pranks on people, including the suspect who is on trial for aggravated malicious wounding.
Tanner Cook was in the mall filming a prank video for his YouTube page Classified Goons. Police say the shooting suspect, Alan Colie, was in the mall working to pickup food for a DoorDash order.
Tanner's father, Jeramy Cook, spoke with WUSA9 in April and laid out what happened from his perspective.
“They were making a video at the mall and trying to have fun with people and this guy wasn't having fun,” Jeramy Cook said. “There was a phone that was around him and they were interviewing or talking to him, and he didn't like it and he pulled out his gun and shot my son.”
When deputies arrived, they found Tanner Cook suffering from a gunshot wound walking out of the mall entrance. He was shot in the stomach area.
Colie was found sitting on the floor in the food court nearby with a gun. He did not try to flee or resist arrest. He was taken into custody without further incident.
Colie's lawyer argued in May that Tanner Cook was "towering over" Colie, threatening, harassing and targeting him.
"He's making money by causing fear in individuals," the defense lawyer said.
However, Tanner Cook said his channel is meant for people who enjoy watching others get frustrated.
"It's to bring people who are watching some type of relief from what they're going through in their life," Tanner Cook said. "A lot of people have different types of humor."
The trial is expected to last five days. Book Tanner Cook and Colie were present at court Monday, and both men could testify during the trial.
During jury selection, the prosecution asked potential jurors if they would still convict a suspect even if the victim and his occupation make him appear undesirable.
Colie is expected to argue self defense, while Tanner Cook's legal team will argue that he never posed a threat to Colie, never carried a weapon, nor did he lay hands on Colie. There was someone recording the moment Cook was shot, which could be introduced as evidence during the trial.