A YouTuber couple are lucky to be alive, and it’s not because of some self-inflicted stunt. In an IRL Ingrid Goes West type of situation, a man drove from New Mexico to Texas last month, in attempt to harm YouTuber Gavin Free. Police say the man was obsessed with Free’s girlfriend and jealous of his success. Free co-owns the Slow Mo Guys channel on YouTube, which boasts over 10 million subscribers. His girlfriend, Megan Turney, also has a following in the hundreds of thousands and would occasionally appear in Free's vlogs.
Christopher Giles broke into the couple's Austin home around 3:40 am on January 26. Free and Turney took refuge in the bedroom closet and called 911. According to police, Giles fired a gun inside the home, even though he had not located the couple. Cops eventually arrived and confronted Giles as he made his way back to his car. A shot was fired inside Giles' car and one officer returned fire, theDaily Dot reports. Giles was found dead, but an official ruling on his cause of death has yet to be announced. The medical examiner has, as of yet, not ruled out the possibility that Giles shot himself.
Neither Free nor Turney have addressed the incident on their respective social media channels. Police describe the assailant as “single, lonely and disturbed.” Police found recorded notes on Giles phone saying things like, “I want Gavin Free to die alone with no children.”