‘Ding Dong Ditch’ TikTok prank ends with 1 teen dead and intended target behind bars after gunning down fleeing kids: Cops

Teens playing ding dong ditch successful a stunt for clicks connected TikTok faced a hail of bullets aft the home’s nonmigratory opened up fire, sidesplitting 1 and injuring another, cops successful Virginia say.

Now the resident, 27-year-old Tyler Chase Butler, stands accused of second-degree murder, malicious wounding and 2 counts of usage of a firearm successful the committee of a felony.

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According to the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office, deputies received a telephone astir 3 a.m. Saturday astir a location burglary successful advancement wherever the nonmigratory fired shots. When they arrived, cops recovered 2 teens suffering from gunshot wounds. One, aboriginal identified arsenic 18-year-old Michael Bosworth, Jr., was rushed to the infirmary wherever helium died.

The different teen suffered insignificant injuries and besides was taken to the hospital. A warrant petition filed successful Spotsylvania Circuit Court and obtained by Law&Crime says detectives spoke with the teen who said helium was retired with Bosworth and different buddy pulling a well-known prank successful which radical ringing a home’s doorbell earlier moving away.

“The juvenile advised it’s thing that radical are doing to enactment connected TikTok,” a detective wrote.

Per the warrant, the teens were not acquainted with the vicinity and had done the prank connected a mates of different doors earlier they came to the fateful code connected McKenzie Lane successful Fredericksburg, immoderate 60 miles southwest of Washington, D.C. The teen told cops they were moving from the location erstwhile they were changeable at, the warrant said.

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Detectives besides spoke with the uninjured teen who gave the aforesaid relationship and voluntarily provided them with his cellphone that showed videos of them hitting different homes.

In the warrant, detectives are asking a justice to hunt the telephone for “any videos, photographs oregon substance connection notation to processing, making oregon having ‘Ding Dong Ditch’ videos.”

Cops connected Tuesday arrested Butler. He’s astatine the Rappahannock Regional Jail without bond.

Bosworth’s household is devastated. His stepdad told local NBC affiliate WRC that the teen was a elder astatine Massaponax High School who was acceptable to spell to prom aboriginal that night. He played shot and lacrosse astatine the school, and was going to postgraduate this month.

ABC affiliate WIJA obtained a missive main William Lancaster III sent to parents.

As a parent/guardian, it is ever hard to cognize however to reply questions astir grief and loss. Children respond to decease differently, and their reactions volition beryllium connected the narration they had with the idiosyncratic who died, their age, and anterior experiences with loss. This evening, we program to clasp prom arsenic scheduled. School counselors volition beryllium on-site astatine the lawsuit to supply enactment arsenic needed. Additionally, erstwhile students instrumentality to schoolhouse connected Monday, our counseling unit and further part enactment squad members volition beryllium disposable to assistance students and staff. If your kid needs support, delight interaction the schoolhouse truthful we tin help. Our thoughts are with the household during this hard time.