A Massaponax High School senior who was a wrestler and also excelled on the football and lacrosse field met his end while doing a TikTok prank. A man allegedly shot and killed a three-sport high school athlete and injured one of his friends after they banged on his door while playing “ding dong ditch.”
Tyler Chase Butler, 27, is charged with killing 18-year-old Michael Bosworth Jr. and maiming one of his friends in Fredericksburg on the day of his prom.
How Was HS Three-Sport Athlete Michael Bosworth Jr. K*lled?
Bosworth was unalived on the day of his prom, and the shooting occurred around 3 a.m., initially reported as an attempted burglary. Butler claimed he thought the teens were trying to break into his house. Butler is a Black man and the teens are white.
Surviving Teens Say The Were Doing TikTok Prank: “Ding-Dong-Ditch”
According to reports, a surviving teen, who was interviewed by Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Office Detective Earle Swift at Mary Washington Hospital following the incident in the River Club subdivision, said he and two others were fleeing from the residence to hide when the resident began firing.
Bosworth Jr., a member of the same community was hit in the torso and later died at Mary Washington. One teen was grazed by a bullet and another was unharmed.
The teen said they were recording a prank for TikTok and looking for a place to hide when shots were fired. A third teen also said the name of the prank is “ding dong ditch.”
Police Charge Homeowner With Murder Of Teen Home Invader
Police arrested Butler at his home and he faces charges of second-degree murder, malicious wounding, and two counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. He’s been held without bond at Rappahannock Regional Jail.
According to the search warrant, detectives were looking for videos, photographs or any type of communication or reference to the game on the teen’s phone.Reports say the teen also said that he and his friends had pulled the prank on a couple of other homes in River Club.
The kids were dead wrong for playing around at people’s homes at 3am in the morning, and the results of their prank are what you call the worst case scenario. Despite a person’s right to bear arms and protect their home, detectives are treating this as a murder investigation. The initial 911 call reported an incident in which three individuals allegedly attempted to break into a home in the subdivision by kicking in the door back door, Sheriff’s Office Capt. Charles Carey said Saturday.
Social Media Chimes In: Is Homeowner Wrong For Defending Home?
That proves that the homeowner, who was probably awakened from his sleep in panic, did think it was a break-in. People don’t have much time to react or think in situations such as that. This case is sure to stir up a whirlwind of opinion, and it already has social media going crazy.
Some fans are bewildered as to why the homeowner is being charged with murder and what he described as an attempted break-in is being treated as an innocent prank by police.
Former NFL player and activist, Etan Thomas, posted this on Facebook:
“Hmmm kicking in someone’s door at 3am in the morning is considered a “prank” when certain demographics are present huh?
“We need to put money on his books also,” said one netizen.
“Even if it was or wasn’t a prank, the homeowner didn’t and couldn’t have known either way. And you are correct, whatever they were doing it was breaking and entering,” said another person in the comments defending the actions of Tyler Chase Burns.
”Play stupid games, win stupid prizes,” said another netizen, unsympathetic to the lives that were lost during the 3am prank.
“That won’t stand unless he shot them in the back when running away, that’s a different story..home invasion…protecting your family at all costs takes precedence still at 3am you aren’t thinking about anything but survival and protection,” said another netizen suggesting it was a justified shooting.
Are The 18-Year-Old Kids Who Did The Prank To Blame For Friend’s Death?
This is another tragic story involving violence and a young athlete losing his life because of bad decisions. Just because the kids claim that their intentions were a prank doesn’t mean they aren’t just as culpable for the sorrowful outcome. Two good families permanently damaged. They really should be on trial, not the homeowner, because this is America and protecting your family in your home has to remain a right that the government and laws support unconditionally.
Opinion on this developing story will surely be divided among racial lines as the lingering effects of the Karmelo Anthony stabbing of Austin Metcalf and a toxic social media platform keep these situations focused on further division.