Thanks for streaming WSA 9 plus,
I'm Charla McBride.
This week, a WSA 9 exclusive has garnered
attention from people across the country.
You probably remember on Sunday when a
man was shot inside Dallas Town Center.
Soon after that shooting, detais
emerged on the victim and the suspect.
Now this evolving story has
many of you talking.
Tanner Cook is the 21 year
old shooting victim.
He was in the middle of the
malls food court filming a prank
video for his YouTube channel,
but he picked the wrong target.
Police say 31 year old Alan Coly
pulled out a gun and shot Cook s
Cook was recording that prank v.
Matthew Torres was the only
reporter in the DMV to speak
with Cook from his hospital bed.
Here's what he had to say.
I'm fine tonight.
Tanner Cook giving WSA 9 an upde
from his hospital bed in the ICU
with his mother right by his si.
This 21 year old expected to
make a full recovery after being
critically shot in the stomach
inside the Dulles Town Center
Food Court Sunday. Cook is a
content creator for his YouTube page,
classified goon, racking up
more than 38,000 subscribers.
He's not with me, you can't be in here.
He says he was recording a
video playing jokes with the man
accused of pulling the trigger,
31 year old Alan Coley, this wis
capturing the moment deputies arrest.
Coley, who is now facing felony charges
including aggravated malicious wounded.
I was just playing a prank,
a simple practical joke and they
in the thing very well and shot.
Officials say.
It appears the two did not know
each other before the incident,
the shooting causing panic among mall goers.
Obviously we're all having a
pretty rough time with it,
but we believe that he's going
to be fine. He's going to
pull through. And tonight
Cook's family says while it's s,
they're confident he will bounce back
because of their faith in God. o
you're running in and out, but. We we live on
space. I'm not
fierce. And even after being sh,
Cook says he plans to continue making
videos because it's his passion.
Giving this simple statement toe
Community this stay safe out th.
So Matthew Torres joining me no.
Matthew, this is getting nationl
attention. Why do you think it's
resonating with so many people?
I do have to note, when we first
did this story earlier this wee,
there were 38,000 subscribers.
Now it has reached to 45,000 subscribers.
I think when it comes to peoplen
that position creating these tye
of videos so they can make a lig
to get those likes and clicks,
it really seems like a lot of
people just don't like that.
Yeah, and they describe this
even though he is making it seem
like they're prank videos.
A lot of people reacting to thi,
they're almost torn.
They don't agree with him being shot,
they don't like this type of violence.
On the other hand,
they're also saying they feel le
his videos are somewhat tauntin,
aggressive in nature.
And I think that's why you're
getting a lot of polarizing opis
about this and overwhelmingly a
lot of people at this point when
it comes to their comments.
Seem to be siding with the alleged gunman
in this case while also saying y
don't agree with this type of violence.
Yeah, I think no one wants to be, you know,
the target of a prank video, ri?
So I think a lot of people are kind of maybe.
Putting themselves in those
shoes of the shooter, in a sens.
OK, so I know you spoke with Cook's father,
who of course is going to defend his son.
What is he saying? After all th?
He's not the only one defending his son.
Or, of course, Tanner Cook is sl
in the hospital. There, there yu
have a Tanner's father, Jeremy ,
who spoke to us at least a couple of times.
He's really saying is that his
son is doing this out of fun.
This is not to. Cause harm.
He's created other videos.
He likes to play jokes.
He says they were just creating pranks.
And he says the YouTube channel
is his form of income.
This is how he's making money.
So he felt like regardless of what was said,
the details leading up to the shooting,
he just says that pretty much Alan Coley,
the suspect was obviously in the
wrong for this and he feels lik.
Regardless of what was said,
he was just having fun.
That's what he was kept saying e
is that this did not have to rie
to this level of violence and tt
he could have just walked away.
And on the other hand though,
Jeremy Cook, the father,
is also saying that he doesn't
have any resentment,
anger towards the suspect and en
told us that he even forgives
him and that he is hoping that.
He can find God in this case.
He said time and time again how
his family really just relying n
their faith right now to guide m
through this very much tricky ad
now highly publicized situation.
So we keep saying that it was a prank video.
Do we know the details what was actually
happening the moment that he decided to shoot
right. So to be clear,
Latin County Sheriff's Office,
when this all happened,
they really have not provided my
details as far as what happened
actually brought the legal pad
that was writing notes because.
We found out that he had a bond
hearing maybe a couple days
after Alan after his arrest,
and we are finding out from the
detective in the case that Alan
Coley is a DoorDash driver.
He was at the mall picking up food when
all of a sudden you have Tanner cook,
according to this detective, went up.
To Coley the suspect with his fd
recording this video and using e
Google Translate on your phone,
and they were translating a phrase and
the detective says at least preliminary,
they believe they were translatg
the quote I think you smell.
Using Google Translate,
having the phone next to Coley
as close as 6 inches to him,
which is in someone else's face,
in someone else's private space,
6 inches no doubt. The
defense and the detective agreed
how close they really were.
And during this hearing,
apparently Coley told Cook to
leave him alone several times,
telling him to stop and
even try to walk away.
And apparently, according to Detective,
Cook kept following him.
And that's when Coley allegedly
pulled out a gun from his vest
and then shot him in the stomac.
So you mentioned he kept following him.
So now I have to ask, could coo,
who was shot, also face any kind
of baby harassment charges?
It's a good question.
The Loudoun County sheriff's of.
Excuse me. Commonwealth's Attors
office says that they are looking into
the possibility of charging Tanner Cook.
It all depends on what kind of evidence
they're reviewing through this .
Clearly. The attorney representing the
Commonwealth Attorney's Office during
that hearing says they are lookg
to charge the quote UN quote vi,
not only Tanner Cook,
but potentially his friend as wl
who was recording that video.
And time and time again,
as you can see from one of these
videos from his YouTube channel,
classified goons,
they have these similar pranks
where they kind of dress up or
they go into people's faces and
really play these kind of jokes.
And for some people they feel
like they are cruel jokes.
So we don't know what kind of charges,
if any, maybe harassment,
maybe even disorderly conduct to that extent.
Interestingly, though,
I did speak to a woman in Herndon who,
three weeks prior to the shooti,
says she encountered Tanner Cook
at a target there in Sterling.
And to her,
she says she felt in her words
that she was victimized.
Take a look.
Tanner Cook may have been critiy
shot trying to record another
prank for his YouTube channel,
but from his hospital bed,
the 21 year old tells WSA 9 he
plans to keep making videos
because it's his passion.
It makes me angry. It makes me
worry for our community that's
leaving. Natalie Lomax of Herndon Concern
Lomax says she and her sister were left
traumatized by one of his pranks at the
target in Sterling early last m.
She describes them more as harassment. We
were approached by a man who was wearing.
A security shirt. He came up toy
sister and I and stated that the
was a known stalker in the target who
he noticed had been following u.
He said he's Gothic.
He is wearing dark eyeliner, dark lipstick.
We look over and we see the Gotc
gentleman standing there staring at us, she
says. That security man helped k
them to the checkout line as the
socalled Stalker kept following them.
The next day, she reported
what happened to target in the
Loudoun County Sheriff's Office.
She claims it was Tanner
Cook posing as the security.
And wearing the same fake secury
shirt scene in his recordings
inside other targets.
Her experience was never
posted on the channel.
The intention, in my opinion,
is he's he's in trying to
instill fear. And it worked.
Allen Coley is accused of critiy
shooting Cook while he was playg
another prank at Dulles Town Ce.
The Loudoun County Commonwealth
Attorney's Office says it's
investigating evidence and lookg
into possible charges against C.
He doesn't live in Virginia,
but came from Nevada.
According to his father,
this incident was three weeks prior to
the Dulles Mall shooting. Again, had he?
Been approached, held accountab.
Maybe his lesson would have been learned
tonight. Lomax says while a shog
isn't justified, she feels his actions
are taunting Matthew Torres W U9
and Matthew. This woman clearly
upset by her encounter with Coo.
So what is the Loudon County Sheriff's
Office saying about her specific incident?
First off, she said she has beeo
upset about this she has not gone back to
that target for now more than a month.
But the Loudon County Sheriff's Office says
that they did actually receive a call.
From her. But there was no actul
incident report created because
at the time they said there waso
criminal activity that was presented.
She's obviously upset by that,
but according to the Sheriff's Office,
they will be following up with
her at some point.
And we know that you last spoke
with hook, he was in the hospit,
that he was in the ICU. How is he doing?
Do we know how his recovery is coming?
Right. So his dad the other dayt
said that he was able to leave the ICU.
In fact, he did post something
on his Instagram account,
a story saying that, you know,
he doesn't have his phone,
but he's able to update people saying
that he is going to be OK again.
He was the one shot here.
So he is doing good, remarkably well.
We know his dad is coming into .
They're from Idaho.
He lives in Idaho right there,
but the whole family is
originally from Washington Stat.
But we know his mom siblings
are already here as well.
And so that same friend
who recorded the video,
I do understand the video is now
in the hands of police, of cour,
but that friend is also going to
be coming back at some point.
And again,
everyone's reiterating the
fact that he will be continuing
to do these videos because.
Not only is its form as income,
but it's his passion.
Now, I have to ask, you just sad
something that kind of struck m.
So the friend was videotaping ts
entire prank gone wrong, right?
So are we allowed to believe tht
the shooting was actually caught
on that video, or do we know
from what I'm gathering, yes.
The friend was recording the
video when he pulled out the gu.
And I think you can see.
The gun being pulled out and
then shooting Cook because as
you see from his other videos,
usually the photographer is kinf
from a distance, right, right, right.
So yes, that's what I've gather.
The detective obviously has
that now and, you know,
seeing what can continue from t.
The defense also hoping to
get more evidence before the
preliminary hearing for Alan Co,
the suspect next month,
right. So he is right now
locked up, he's behind bars. And
yeah, the judge did not grant him his bond.
His defense argued that.
Since he was not previously
convicted of any crimes,
since he doesn't have any drug
history or any past issues of
failing to appear in court thate
should be able to be provided g.
His defense is also saying
he was the one harassed.
The suspect was one targeted and accosted
a lot of evolving parts here in this case.
I know you'll stay on top of
this as new details emerge.
Thank you so much, Matthew,
and thank you for watching us.
And if you want to read
more coverage of this case,
you can scan this QR code right
now and you'll find more links
to all of Matthew's stories.