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Alan Colie had been facing charges of aggravated malicious wounding; use of a firearm in the commission of a felony; and discharging a firearm within a building, after shooting 21-year-old Tanner Cook on April 2 in Dulles Town Center, authorities in Loudoun County said.
This week, a jury found Colie not guilty of aggravated malicious wounding and use of a firearm for aggravated malicious wounding, WUSA9 says. He was found guilty of firing a gun inside the mall, though.
"The takeaway in America is that if you're in a mall and you piss someone off, it's okay if they shoot you," Cook's dad, Jeramy Cook, tells Daily Voice.
When asked if he thought his son crossed a line, Cook said, "Prank videos are all about getting people to watch. If you don't cross a line, then people don't get agitated, and if you don't get people agitated, then nobody cares and nobody watches. What is that line?"
Jeramy went on to explain that pranking is about emotionally agitating someone for the sake of a reaction. He said his son films the reactions for the purpose of entertaining his more than 55,000 YouTube subscribers.
According to NBC Washington, jurors watched the video of 6-foot-5 Cook approaching Colie, who was working as a DoorDash driver and picking up an order. Cook was holding a cellphone about six inches from Colie's face, and the phone was reading the phrase, "Hey dip----, quit thinking about by twinkle," through a Google Translate app repeatedly.
The video shows Colie saying "stop" three times as he tries backing away from Cook, who comes closer, NBC says. Colie allegedly tried knocking the phone away before he pulled out a gun and shot Cook.
"Tanner didn’t cross the line that would say this guy felt threatened for his life and should use lethal force," the elder Cook said.
Jeramy Cook did say, though, his son "has to dial it back because if he doesn't, he might die next time."
Click here for more from WUSA9 and here for more from NBC Washington.
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