Bizarre moment Virginia YouTuber, 21, is shot in the stomach and left in intensive care

A 21-year-old YouTuber was shot in the stomach and had to fight for his life after claiming he played a “simple prank” on a stranger at a Virginia mall.

Tanner Cook, 21, was filming a video at the Dulles Town Center mall when a fight broke out with Alan Colie, 31, of Leesburg, Virginia.

It’s not clear what Cook’s prank entailed, but his previous form involved pretending to throw up on an Uber driver and asking strangers to play naked Twister.

Cook spent several days in intensive care after a bullet pierced his stomach and liver.

Colie was charged Monday with grievous intentional wounding, using a firearm in the commission of a felony and firing a firearm into a building.

Suspected gunman Alan Colie, 31, was charged Monday and assigned a public defender after allegedly shooting Cook over the weekend

Sheriff Mike Chapman said the shooting stemmed from a fight that broke out in the food court of the Dulles Town Center mall.

A video recorded by an Instagram user showed Colie being arrested and pinned to the ground.

Cook spoke from his hospital bed WUSA9 after having surgery. He said he played a prank on Colie for another video.

“I played a joke and a simple joke, and this guy didn’t take it very well,” Cook said, adding that the incident won’t stop him from continuing to make videos.

Cook created content for an account called Classified Goonswhich has just under 40,000 subscribers.

The videos on the channel feature Cook pretending to throw up on an Uber driver, playing a prank on a Target employee, and asking strangers to play naked Twister.

Cook’s boyfriend was shooting the video when Colie reportedly pulled out his gun. The family said the video is now part of the police evidence.

Officers handle the shooting suspect at the Dulles Town Center in Sterling, Virginia

Despite the events leading up to the shooting, Cook’s father, Jeramy Cook, said the incident was shocking and unnecessary.

“They were doing a video at the mall trying to have fun with people and this guy wasn’t having fun,” he said.

“There was a phone around him and they were interviewing or talking to him, and he didn’t like it and he pulled out his gun and shot my son.”

Jeremy Cook emphasized that his family’s faith in God is helping them through this difficult time.

“We need recovery, we need healing, and we need to come together.”

“I pray for this young man and pray that he finds God in this. I believe that God saved our son’s life, and he could have easily died, but that’s not the outcome. God has plans for my son,” he said, pointing out that he doesn’t blame Colie.

The Virginia mall reopened Monday after being closed for a full day.

Phylis Randall, chair of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, said she answered a number of calls from concerned voters.

“I’ve heard from so many of my constituents and they’re traumatized,” she said. ‘The victims are more than just those directly involved. People have a secondary trauma because of this and may never walk back to this mall.’

Tanner Cook’s father, Jeremy Cook, said the whole incident was shocking and unnecessary. “They were doing a video at the mall trying to have fun with people and this guy wasn’t having fun,” he said.

Cook pictured in one of his prank videos. Some online viewers of Cook’s videos took a stand against his public behavior in the aftermath of the shooting: “Alan Colie is the hero we need,” one wrote.

Some online viewers of Cook’s videos took a stand against his public behavior in the aftermath of the shooting.

“I really hope the gunmen [sic] attorney is using all your past videos as defense evidence at his trial,” one commenter wrote.

Hoping for a slow recovery and long lasting consequences, pray for the defendant, hopefully he will have all charges dropped. I am [sic] glad people are finally taking care of these people who deliberately harass and annoy people who are just trying to live their lives,” wrote another.

“Alan Colie is the hero we need,” wrote a third.