A Virginia man was charged with second-degree murder after fatally shooting a teenager who was filming a prank for TikTok known as “ding dong ditch” with two friends early May 3, according to court records and local authorities.
The Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a resident firing shots during a burglary and found two teenagers with gunshot wounds, the office said in a statement. Michael Bosworth Jr., 18, later died of his wounds. The second person was treated for minor injuries, and a third person in the group was unharmed, the sheriff’s office said. The two with Bosworth are younger than 18.
The teenagers had been in the neighborhood to make a TikTok video, one of them told investigators in an affidavit filed in Spotsylvania Circuit Court. A “ding dong ditch” prank involves ringing doorbells or knocking on the front doors of houses before running away, and has become popular fodder for social media videos.
“The juvenile advised it’s something that people are doing to put on TikTok,” the affidavit said.
The group had knocked on a few doors in the area, one of the teens told a detective, adding they were not familiar with the neighborhood. They were running away from a residence when they were shot, according to the affidavit. At least one video showing the teenagers doing the prank was still on one of their phones, the affidavit said.
Authorities arrested Tyler Chase Butler, 27, of Spotsylvania County, on Tuesday on charges of second-degree murder, malicious wounding and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, the sheriff’s office said. He was being held at Rappahannock Regional Jail on no bond, it said. Spotsylvania County is roughly 45 miles north of Richmond
Bosworth was a senior at Massaponax High School in Fredericksburg. The high school, set to hold its graduation this Tuesday, sent a message that counselors would be available to help grieving students.
A spokesperson for the Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Office, a lawyer for Butler and the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Spotsylvania County all declined to comment.
This style of prank has led to tragedy in the past. In 2020, a California man crashed into a car of six teens, killing three, after they played a similar prank on him. He was sentenced to life in prison.
On Tuesday, a group of students gathered on the football field at Massaponax High School to remember their classmate.
