Danny Duncan responds after accusations of staging a ‘shooting’ prank in mall
YouTube: Danny DuncanAfter Danny Duncan was accused of staging a fake ‘shooting’ prank in an El Paso mall, the YouTuber has clarified that there was no such prank, and that he was just there to buy shirts for his fans.
Danny Duncan is a hugely popular creator on YouTube, known for his pranks and videos that feature crazy stunts and funny exchanges with strangers. He has over 5.6 million subscribers on the platform, and his videos regularly get millions of views.
However, after some miscommunication at a mall in El Paso Texas on April 24, many initially believed that the creator had tried to prank attendees by pretending there was an active shooter.
The police department explained that there was a “mad rush” of people as a result of a “celebrity” who was visiting the mall, which led to rumors that shots had been fired. While officers cleared the area around the mall as a precaution, it became apparent that the rush was a result of people’s excitement surrounding Danny’s presence.
Apparently a celebrity at the mall caused a rush of persons and rumor spread of shots fired. No shots fired. If there are injuries only due to mad rush. https://t.co/ObSZ5omqXl
— EL PASO POLICE DEPT (@EPPOLICE) April 24, 2021
Rumors then began to spread that the star had intentionally lied about there being a shooter in the mall as part of a prank video, but Danny was quick to shut those down on Twitter.
“I went to Zumiez in the mall to buy shirts for my fans,” he wrote. “There was no prank at all going on. I was just visiting El Paso and hanging out with my supporters. Feel free to ask a Zumiez employee directly or mall security directly they were all with me during this time.”
He also added: “For context people are saying I did a prank where we yelled there was a shooter in the mall. Which is something I’d never do.”
https://twitter.com/DannyDuncan69/status/1386106922177282048
It’s not uncommon for large crowds of fans to gather if an influencer or celebrity appears in a public place, but the sudden rush of people alarmed some shoppers and staff members who weren’t aware of the YouTuber’s presence and thought there could be a legitimate danger.
While it didn’t take long for rumors to spread, Danny was quick to put out his version of events.