Virginia teenagers said they were recording a ding-dong ditch prank for a TikTok video when a homeowner opened fire, killing an 18-year-old boy.
The homeowner, Tyler Chase Butler, was arrested on charges of second-degree murder, malicious wounding and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony in the death of Michael Bosworth Jr. It's not clear whether Butler has an attorney.
The shooting happened around 3 a.m. Saturday, the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. Deputies were sent to a home near McKenzie Lane in the Washington, D.C., suburb following a call for a residential burglary in progress, in which a resident had fired shots.
Bosworth and another person had gunshot wounds, the sheriff's office said. Bosworth was taken to the hospital, where he died from his injuries. The other person, a juvenile, was treated and released. A third juvenile with them was unharmed, authorities said.
Butler, 27, told investigators that he believed the teens were trying to break into his home, NBC Washington reported.
According to a search warrant affidavit obtained by NBC News, one of the teens told detectives that they were recording ding-dong ditch pranks for a TikTok video, in which they ring people's doorbells and then run away. The teen said that they had been to a couple of homes in the neighborhood and that he was not familiar with the area.
"The juvenile stated that they had run to hide. The juvenile said as they were running from a residence, he and his friends were shot at," the affidavit says.
The other teen gave a similar account and told detectives that he had a video on his phone of them doing the prank earlier that day, according to the affidavit.
Bosworth was a senior at Massaponax High School. He was killed hours before the school prom.
"School counselors will be on site at the event to provide support as needed," the school district said in a letter to the school community. "Also, when students return to school on Monday, our counseling staff and additional division support team members will be available to provide support to our students and staff as needed. If your child needs support, please contact the school so that we can provide assistance. Our thoughts are with the family during this difficult time."
Butler is being held in Rappahannock Regional Jail on no bond.
murdacai999 on May 8th, 2025 at 17:19 UTC »
Similar thing just happened to our neighbor. The kids didn't just ding dong ditch tho. I have no idea what the viral tik Tok challenge is specifically, but these kids kicked in his storm door. Like he had to replace it. Then a month later, attempted to do it again. This time he was prepared, and proceeded to tackle one of the kids, and sat on him til the police arrived. He was furious and saw only red, and if they were a touch older, I wouldn't have been surprised for him to have pummelled them. They were 10 years old, and I think that was their saving grace. All these kids need to knock it off. Loss of life here is tragic. A lot of people are on edge these days, and I'm not surprised this happened. Terrible outcome
meatball77 on May 8th, 2025 at 16:42 UTC »
Oops. . .
The platforms need to demonitize these videos. They're harassment. A prank is putting googly eyes on all the photos in your mothers house or replacing the soap with potatoes. It's not scaring the shit out of people or breaking the law.
Federal_Drummer7105 on May 8th, 2025 at 15:52 UTC »
I’m surprised that doesn’t happen more often.