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A man who posed as a 15-year-old girl on social media to identify alleged sexual predators has been fatally shot during an argument in a restaurant.
Police have arrested two males, aged 17 and 18, in connection with the weekend shooting of Robert Wayne Lee, 40, of Pontiac, near Detroit.
Lee had gone by the name “Boopac Shakur” on social media. His crusade had led to criminal charges against several men, including a jail deputy, but his work also wrongly identified one person as a sexual predator, according to the local sheriff’s office.
Sheriff Michael Bouchard said Lee had confronted the teenagers as they sat in a restaurant in Pontiac, about 48 kilometres northwest of Detroit. Lee and the 18-year-old got into an argument, at which point the 17-year-old pulled a gun at the table and shot Lee, who later died in hospital.
One of Lee’s videos posted to social media in 2022 led the sheriff’s office to arrest a probationary jail deputy who attempted to arrange a meeting and sex with someone he believed to be a 15-year-old girl.
Bouchard said the deputy was sacked immediately after his office learned of the video. However, he also warned against the dangers of confronting an alleged predator or anyone suspected of committing a crime.
“First and foremost, we understand and agree with [Lee’s] sentiment 1000 per cent,” Bouchard told The Associated Press. “Child predators are some of the worst kind of criminals we encounter and we want them off the street and away from kids.”
Lee was “well-intentioned and well-motivated by that”, Bouchard continued. “The challenge, often individuals that do this on their own don’t know the evidentiary standard and what constitutes criminal behaviour versus disgusting behaviour.”
He also said those working to expose sexual predators often underestimated the potential for violence.
“When we have arrested predators in such circumstances, they have rammed police cars and exhibited other violent behaviour in attempts to escape.”
Cody Larson, 28, of nearby Waterford, Michigan, said he and others hoped to carry on Lee’s legacy.
“I really liked everything that he had done,” Larson said. “I think it’s a great cause. I wanted to be part of it. I have kids.
“No one else is taking accountability. With the police, it’s kind of hit or miss.”
Larson said he was with Lee and others for a “catch” in May. The group, armed only with cellphones, confronted a suspected sexual predator outside a shop in Pontiac.
“He was shocked,” Larson said of the man. “He was asking for forgiveness, saying he didn’t do anything.”
Larson does not believe the man was charged with a crime.
“We’re not going out to hurt people, or cause chaos. We just want to talk to them, to figure out why they think it’s OK to do things like this.”