What Happened To One Of YouTube’s Biggest Gun Stars?
27Nov
If you’re a fan of firearms and YouTube videos, you’re probably familiar with FPS Russia.
Despite the name, FPS Russia features neither first-person-shooter video games nor Russia. The channel’s creator and star, Kyle Lamar Myers, is known for his fake Russian accent, access to fully automatic weapons, big explosions, and scandal.
FPS Russia, The Good Old Days
Back in 2010, Myers started making YouTube videos from his home in Lavonia, Georgia. In less than three years he had acquired nearly 6 million subscribers, he appeared in a live-action Call of Duty commercial directed by Guy Ritchie, and had successfully kickstarted “FPS Russia: The Game” as an app for iOS devices.
His 2012 video “TOP 3 WEAPONS TO SURVIVE THE APOCALYPSE” has been viewed more than 14 million times.
Everything seemed to be going well for the young YouTube star, until tragedy struck.
Death And Raids
On January 6, 2013, the gunshot body of Keith Ratliff was found in his own gunstore. Ratliff was a member of FPS Russia’s production team and was responsible for obtaining all the firearms featured in the videos.
“There were no signs of forced entry at the business and the surveillance equipment, along with some firearms, had been taken,” the GBI reported. “There did not appear to be a struggle of any kind, and based on the scene, Ratliff died while he was working.”
Although Myers was never implicated in Ratliff’s death, the tragedy would start countless conspiracy theories and mark the beginning of the end for FPS Russia.
Keith Ratliff (image source; YouTube)
Less than 3 months later, Myers’ home and nearby farm were raided by 40 agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Richard Coes, a spokesman for the ATF, justified the search by claiming “that [Myers] was using explosives and getting paid for it via YouTube.”
No arrests were made and the agents left with nothing.
The Second Raid
Myers continued to make another more than a dozen videos after Ratliff’s death. The videos aired at regular intervals for 3 years until FPS Russia abruptly stopped publishing in April, 2016. The final video was shared on YouTube and Twitter and Myers appeared to drop off the social radar.
In the market for your very own Flamethrower? Look no further :D https://t.co/mibm96LcY7
— Dmitri (@TheFPShow) April 16, 2016
(image source; Athens Banner-Herald)
The 30-year-old Georgia native was arrested on August 8, 2017 by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office in Carnesville, Georgia. He was later released on a $10,000 bond.
The current state of Myers’ court case is somewhat unclear. Although he no longer has access to his firearms, Myers’ remains active in the YouTube video game community PKA and regularly posts to their reddit sub r/PKA.
Nine months ago a fan asked Myers’ if he would continue to post in the PKA community. Myers shared the following reply,
I’ve done PKA on my laptop for a long time its more convenient to move around. None of my electronics were taken, I have my gaming PC. And that “poorly lit shitty part of the house” is my bedroom lol. I moved because we had to rip up the flooring downstairs after a water leak, and being upstairs allows me to direct connect rather than use wifi. I’ll hook up a box light next show, Also don’t worry I’ll be able to talk about this stuff more freely when its all over.
It appears that Myers is still appearing on YouTube with his video game community. The following video was shared on August 18, 2018.
