Who is Alan Colie? Man who shot YouTube prankster Tanner Cook at Virginia shopping center acquitted

Tanner Cook, who runs the Classified Goons YouTube channel and plays pranks on people, was shot by Alan Colie in April 2023 while shooting a video for his YouTube channel. The authorities did not disclose the content of Cook’s video.

The prank, however, did not go down well with the intended victim, Alan Colie. Colie, a 31-year-old delivery man from Leesburg, shot Cook as he tried to prank him. Colie pulled out a semi-automatic weapon and fired at him, hitting him in the liver and stomach.

Colie was initially charged for the shooting. However, after his recent court hearing, he was acquitted of all the significant charges, like shooting and "aggravated intentional wounding." Nevertheless, he still faced one minor charge for a gun offense.

Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of gun violence

---

Alan Colie shot YouTube prankster Tanner Cook in April

Alan Colie was arrested for shooting Tanner Cook (Image via Loudoun County Sheriff's Office / Loudoun County)

The incident took place at Sterling, Virginia's Dulles Town Centre Mall. Cook, 21, attempted to pull a prank on Alan Colie but was fired upon. From the footage, it can be seen that the altercation lasted no longer than 30 seconds.

The delivery man, Colie, can be seen picking up a meal order as Cook approaches him. He then leaned over Colie while holding a phone. The Google Translate program on his phone played the sentence "Hey dip****, quit thinking about my twinkle" numerous times.

Alan Colie attempted to move away from Cook while yelling "stop" three times, but Cook kept approaching him. Then, after failing to remove the phone from his face, he grabbed his revolver and shot Cook in the lower corner of the stomach.

Alan was accused of shooting along with other things like aggravated malicious wounding and firing a gun into an occupied structure. He was due back in court for a preliminary hearing on May 3. There, he appeared by video at the Loudoun General District Court.

However, recently, Alan Colie had his final hearing, where he was not charged with “aggravated intentional wounding.” At the Loudoun County Adult Detention Centre, he was detained without bond. Wednesday, September 27, was designated as Colie's bond hearing.

In his recent hearing, the judge and the jury were split on two minor firearms counts. Due to a tie vote on two minor gun offenses, the jury opted to find him guilty on one charge and not guilty on the other.

---

More details about the shooting

According to a statement by the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, the two people involved in the event did not know one another before it happened. The mall had been closed because the gunshot spread panic.

As per NBC News, in a press release, the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office stated that Cook was taken to a nearby hospital.

Sources like the NY Post reported that according to Tanner’s father:

“They were making a video at the mall and trying to have fun with people and this guy wasn’t having fun. 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.”

After undergoing surgery, Cook told the neighborhood CBS affiliate, WUSA, that:

"I was playing a prank and a simple practical joke, and this guy didn't take it very well."

The YouTuber also said that although he was frightened by the encounter, he was unfazed. He also declared that the shooting won't stop him from making his videos.