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TikTok prank turns deadly: US teen shot dead during ‘ding dong ditch’, homeowner charged with murder

According to the New York Post, the incident occurred around 3 AM, when 18-year-old Michael Bosworth Jr and two friends knocked on a door in a residential neighbourhood as part of the prank.

The incident occured when Michael Bosworth Jr and two of his friends, knocked on a door in a residential neighbourhood as part of the prank

An 18-year-old boy was allegedly shot dead by a homeowner after he mistook a TikTok-style doorbell prank for burglary in Virginia’s Fredericksburg. The incident happened at around 3 AM on Saturday, when the victim and his friends were recording a viral prank called “ding dong ditch”.

According to the New York Post, the incident occured when Michael Bosworth Jr, 18, and two of his friends, knocked on a door in a residential neighbourhood as part of the prank. Moments later, a hail of gunfire left Bosworth dead and one of his friends wounded, according to the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office.

Tyler Chase Butler, 27, the homeowner, told detectives he believed the teenagers were trying to break into his home. However, statements from the surviving teens tell a different story. One of the boys, who was grazed by a bullet, told police that they were simply filming a prank for TikTok and looking for a place to hide when gunshots rang out, according to documents reviewed by local media.

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The third teenager, who was not injured, also told investigators the group was playing “ding dong ditch,” a game where participants knock or ring someone’s doorbell before running away.

Bosworth was a student at Massaponax High School, where he played football and lacrosse and was also on the wrestling team. The shooting occurred just hours before his high school prom was set to take place.

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Butler was arrested Tuesday and is now facing several charges, including second-degree murder, malicious wounding, and two counts of using a firearm during the commission of a felony. He is currently being held without bond at Rappahannock Regional Jail.

A similar incident took place in 2020, when a 45-year-old Indian-origin man killed three 16-year-old boys and seriously injured three others for a doorbell prank. In 2023, he was convicted on murder charges for deliberately ramming the teenagers’ vehicle with his car. He was sentenced to life.

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