Virginia Teen Shot Dead in Ding Dong Ditch Prank Gone Wrong After Homeowner Mistook Him for Intruder
A northern Virginia man is now facing multiple charges after he allegedly shot and killed a high school student who mistook him for an intruder trying to break into his house. A friend of the teen claims it was all part of a TikTok challenge that took a turn for the worse.
Tyler Butler, 27, is charged with second-degree murder, malicious wounding and using a firearm in the commission of a felony. Butler is accused of shooting at three teenagers who were behind his Fredericksburg home.
The deadly shooting happened around 3 a.m. on Saturday, May 3. The Spotsylvania County Sheriff's Office says the teens were attempting to burglarize the Butlers' house when 18-year-old Massaponax High School senior Michael Bosworth was shot and killed.
One of the two juveniles with him was shot and wounded. They told investigators they were recording themselves doing a "ding-dong ditch" as part of a TikTok challenge. The prank involves knocking on the door or ringing the doorbell of an unsuspecting resident and fleeing from the spot before they can answer the door.
One of Butler's neighbors who spoke with FOX 5 said his home surveillance system captured video of three teens coming up to his house not long before the shooting. The video showed the teens banging, kicking and slamming on the neighbor's garage door — not just ringing the doorbell.
Bosworth's classmates held a vigil in his honor as part of their senior sunset celebration at school Tuesday night. Those who knew him are still trying to make sense of his death. Butler is being held without bond in the Rappahannock Regional Jail. His next court date is scheduled for June 18.
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