NASHVILLE, TN—A man was reportedly shot and killed Friday night in Nashville metropolitan area parking lot in an apparent “YouTube Prank” gone wrong. Authorities have released the name of the victim, Timothy Wilks, who was only 20 years old and was shot under the claim of self defense after Wilks and his associate attempted to stage a robbery using butcher knives outside of a business in the city’s Hermitage neighborhood. However, despite the gruesomeness, Wilks was supposedly attempting to film a “robbery prank” with his friend that he planned to later upload to his YouTube channel.
The shooting occurred outside of Urban Air Trampoline and Adventure Park sometime roughly after 9:00 p.m. When officers arrived on scene at 9:20, David Starnes Jr, 23, quickly admitted to having fired the shots. Starnes told officers that he believed Wilks was attempting to rob him and he fired the shots in self defense, having no prior knowledge about the planned YouTube video.
While this is not the first time a YouTube video has led the the tragic loss of a young person, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department are still investigating the matter and no charges have been placed on David Starnes Jr.
