A Michigan man who used social media to attempt to catch baby molesters was fatally shot throughout a dispute with somebody who accused him of being a predator over the weekend, police mentioned.
Robert Wayne Lee, 40, had a mixed following of greater than 60,000 on Instagram and Fb, the place he was generally known as “Bobak Shakur.” The Oakland County Sheriff’s Workplace mentioned he was posing as a 15-year-old lady to lure potential predators and seize them, a tactic officers deemed harmful.
Lee was at a restaurant in Pontiac Friday night round 10:30 p.m. when he confronted two folks on the desk. Lee accused one of many people, an 18-year-old man, of kid molestation, the sheriff’s workplace mentioned. No additional remark was shared on the veracity of his claims.
The confrontation “rapidly escalated” and one of many suspects fired his gun, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Workplace mentioned in a information launch.
Lee was taken to a hospital, the place he died from his accidents, officers mentioned.
Two suspects had been arrested Saturday afternoon in reference to Lee’s capturing. The capturing suspect, 17, and the second particular person, 18, are believed to be from Pontiac, the sheriff’s workplace mentioned.
The case remains to be underneath investigation. The Sheriff’s Workplace mentioned it expects to refer the case to the Public Prosecution Workplace for expenses on Sunday or Monday.
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard mentioned in an announcement that Lee led a “lone wolf marketing campaign” that led to the arrest and legal expenses of a number of males. Nevertheless, Lee additionally “mistakenly recognized somebody as a sexual predator who was not.”
“Whereas we actually perceive his need to carry baby abusers accountable, well-meaning people concerned usually have no idea the usual of proof required for a conviction, and sometimes underestimate the potential for violence within the face of a predator,” Bouchard mentioned. suspect”.
He famous that suspected predators generally “really feel cornered and sometimes assault violently.”
“Once we catch predators in these circumstances, they ram police vehicles and show different violent behaviors of their makes an attempt to flee,” Bouchard famous.