An 18-year-old boy was allegedly shot dead by a homeowner after he mistook a TikTok-style doorbell prank for burglary in Virginia's Fredericksburg. The incident happened at around 3 am on Saturday, when the victim and his friends were recording a viral prank called "ding dong ditch."
Michael Bosworth, along with his two friends, knocked on Tyler Chase Butler's door in the early hours to pull off the prank, according to The NY Post. Mr Butler, 27, told the detectives that he believed the teenagers were trying to break into his home, said the Spotsylvania County Sheriff's Office.
Authorities said Mr Butler allegedly opened fire on the trio, killing one and injuring another.
The wounded boy told the authorities they were trying to find a place to hide when they suddenly heard gunshots. Another boy added they were just playing a game called "ding dong ditch," in which kids ring someone's doorbell or knock on the door and then run away before the person answers.
Mr Bosworth, a senior at Massaponax High School who played lacrosse and football, was gunned down just hours before his prom, which was scheduled for that evening. The victim's stepfather told NBC that Mr Bosworth was also a part of the school's wrestling team.
According to the sheriff's office, Mr Butler was arrested on Tuesday and is currently at the Rappahannock Regional Jail on no bond. He has been accused of two counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony, second-degree murder, and malicious wounding.
A similar incident took place in 2020, when a 45-year-old Indian origin man killed three 16-year-old boys and seriously injured three others for a doorbell prank. In 2023, he was convicted on murder charges for deliberately ramming teenagers' vehicle with his car. He was sentenced to life.
