A 20-year-old man was shot and killed after participating in a robbery prank gone wrong.
What We Know:
- Last Friday, Timothy Wilks was fatally shot in a parking lot outside of Urban Air Trampoline and Adventure Park in Nashville, Tennesse, after attempting to film a Youtube prank. According to the Huffington Post, Wilks and a friend approached a group in the parking lot to pretend to rob them at knifepoint for the video.
- Police responded to a call about the shooting and arrived at the scene at around 9:20 pm. David Starnes Jr., 23, admitted to shooting Wilks after telling police he was not aware that the alleged robbery was a stunt. He claims to have acted in self-defense.
- Similar pranks have gone viral on Youtube, raking in millions of views. But that does not mean they are all well received. Last August, TikTok and YouTube stars Alex and Alan Stokes were arrested after staging two bank robberies for a viral video. After the incident, the twins were charged with false imprisonment and “swatting” or falsely reporting an emergency.
- The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department’s homicide unit is investigating the incident to determine whether or not Starnes acted in self-defense. They are also investigating the friend involved in the fake robbery scheme and are looking to determine if Starnes had a license to carry. No charges have been made at this time.
This is a developing story and will be updated when if new information is released.
