A Virginia man was arrested over the weekend after reporters say he shot and killed a high school student who he thought was trying to break into his house.
Three teens said they were recording a ding-dong ditch prank for a TikTok video when homeowner Tyler Chase Butler shot at them, killing 18-year-old Michael Bosworth Jr.
Butler was arrested on charges of second-degree murder, malicious wounding and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony in the death of Bosworth.
RELATED STORIES
The Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that the shooting occurred around 3 a.m. Saturday. Deputies received a call for a residential burglary at a home near McKenzie Lane in the Washington, D.C., suburb.
When the detectives arrived, they found Bosworth and another person with gunshot wounds, according to the release. Bosworth was taken to the hospital but died from his injuries. The other person who was with Bosworth, a juvenile, was treated and released. A third juvenile was also involved, but he was not harmed, officials said.
A search warrant affidavit cited by NBC News states that one of the teens told detectives that they were recording ding-dong ditch pranks for a TikTok video, in which they ring doorbells of people and then run away.
“The juvenile stated that they had run to hide. The juvenile said as they were running from a residence, he and his friends were shot at,” the affidavit states.
Butler told investigators that he believed the teens were trying to break into his home. The 27-year-old is being held without bond in the Rappahannock Regional Jail. His next court date is June 18.
Bosworth was a senior at Massaponax High School. He was fatally shot hours before the school prom.
Virginia homeowner charged after fatally shooting teen playing TikTok doorbell prank
