High school student shot dead on prom day in social media prank gone wrong

A high school student was shot and killed on the day of his prom after a social media prank that went wrong.

The incident unfolded in Spotsylvania County, a suburb in Virginia, at around 3am on Saturday morning (3 May), when three young people were allegedly filming pranks, according to a post from the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office.

The young people were reportedly filming a ding-dong ditch prank when a homeowner opened fire on them. 18-year-old Michael Bosworth Jr. was killed, while another juvenile sustained minor injuries. A third juvenile was unharmed.

The 27-year-old homeowner Tyler Chase Butler was arrested for second-degree murder, malicious wounding and two counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony.

Authorities say they received a phone call about a residential burglary in progress during which the resident had opened fire.

They attended the scene in the Mckenzie Lane area and found two individuals with gunshot wounds. Bosworth was transported to hospital, where he later died from his injuries. The other injured juvenile was treated and later released from hospital.

News4 reports the injured teen told police they weren’t breaking into the house, but were instead filming prank videos where they rang people’s doorbells and then ran away.

The third teen reportedly gave the same account and showed police a similar video they had taken earlier that night, doing the same prank.

Bosworth’s stepfather told News4 his stepson was a senior at Massaponax High School, where he played lacrosse, football and also wrestled. He was shot just hours before his school’s prom.

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