By Luis de Jesus
02 Oct 2023, 10:42 PM EDT
A judge declared innocent a food delivery man who shot YouTuber Tanner Cook in the stomach, who played a practical joke on him and made him feel that his life was in danger, so he decided to take out his gun to defend himself. The difficult moment was recorded on a video, which went viral on social networks in the last hours after the verdict was known.
The incident occurred on April 2, when the young man began to harass and chase the worker, identified as Alan Colie, in the food area of the Duller Town Center shopping center.
Cook, 21, runs the YouTube channel Classified Goons.
In the video that was widely shared on social networks, it is observed when the delivery man was walking with an order in his hands and was approached by the young man, who put his cell phone close to his ear while repeatedly playing meaningless audio.
Colie did not understand what was happening and tried to move towards the exit. She even grabbed Cook to force him to take his phone away from him, but the YouTuber did not stop insisting. While all this was happening, the scene was being recorded by other people, presumably accomplices of the YouTuber.
At one point, the delivery man decided to pull out a gun and shot the young man, who fell to the floor while complaining of pain.
The trial against Alan Colie, 31, began last September 25 and, after four days of testimony and jury deliberations, on the 29th he was found not guilty of aggravated malicious wounding and guilty of using a firearm in the commission of a serious crime, the Loudoun County government reported on its website.
However, the delivery man was found guilty of firing a firearm inside a building, so on October 19, Judge Matthew Snow will hear the motions presented by the defense and determine whether the jury’s verdict is confirmed.
If confirmed, local authorities indicated, a sentence of one to five years in prison and/or a fine of $2,500 will be imposed.
“The investigation by the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office indicated that the shooting was caused by force that exceeded the threat to Colie. It is unfortunate that the interaction between the victim and Colie resulted in a tragic shooting. “We are thankful the victim did not die,” said Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney Buta Biberaj.
Alan Colie, who had a license to carry a concealed weapon, said he fired in self-defense.
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