20-Year-Old YouTuber Shot Dead During Apparent Robbery Prank Video Gone Horribly Wrong

A man named Timothy Wilks was pronounced dead after being shot on Friday night during what law enforcement says may be an attempted viral prank gone horribly wrong.

The young man was killed in the parking lot of Urban Air Trampoline & Adventure Park just outside of Nashville, Tennessee. Authorities are now saying the incident is being investigated as a self-defense shooting, with the alleged shooter unaware it was an apparent prank meant to be filmed for YouTube.

According to a press release shared by local law enforcement in the Tennessee town, Wilks and a friend — who was not identified in the release — allegedly approached a group of people while holding butcher knives in their hands. The plan was allegedly for Wilks and the friend to stage a fake robbery that was to be shown as part of a YouTube video.

Unaware the robbery was staged, a man named David Starnes Jr., pulled out a gun and opened fire, killing Wilks. The vlogger was just 20 years old. According to The Sun, it does not appears Wilks’ YouTube channel is still active.

When authorities arrived on scene after the shooting, Starnes was still there, and he apparently fully cooperated with cops. According to E! News, he told them he was “unaware” the incident had only been a prank. Police are continuing to investigate his self-defense claim; for now, Starnes is not facing any charges.

[Image via News 2 ABC/YouTube]