Source: GoFundMe / GoFundMe
A Michigan man known for tracking and luring out child predators was shot and killed after confronting two teens at a restaurant.
Last Friday (Sept. 29), Robert Wayne Lee, whom online followers called “Boobac Shakur,” was shot and killed after confronting two teens alleging that they were sexual predators targeting children. The Michigan man gained notoriety for waging an online campaign by posing as a 15-year-old girl to lure out and confront pedophiles, often recording videos of the encounters, which he’d share to his Instagram and Facebook pages which had over 54,000 and 11,000 followers respectively.
It was a tactic police considered dangerous, saying that while his “one-man crusade has led to the arrest and criminal charges being filed against several men,” including a former police officer, “he has also mistakenly identified someone as a sexual predator who was not,” with Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald saying in a statement that Lee “was investigated for and charged with crimes for destroying property of individuals who were not the target of his ‘sting’ operations.”
The incident occurred at a restaurant in Pontiac at the corner of North Perry and MLK Boulevard at 10:30 p.m., according to police. Lee had gone there to confront two teens, 17 and 18, and according to the press release had gotten into a confrontation with the 18-year-old accusing him of being a pedophile. Lee then attacked him, leading him to pull out a knife. The 17-year-old then allegedly pulled out a gun and shot Lee several times. Lee would be rushed to the hospital, where he would die from his sustained injuries.
According to reports, both suspects were apprehended on Saturday afternoon in Pontiac. “While we certainly understand his desire to hold child predators accountable, many times well-intentioned individuals who engaged in this don’t know the standard of evidence required for convictions and often underestimate the potential for violence confronting a suspected predator,” said Sheriff Michael Bouchard of Lee.
Lee’s family has created a GoFundMe account to pay for the cost of his funeral and to take care of his daughter. “In the tight-knit community, we were fortunate to have a beacon of light named Robert Lee, a true hometown hero,” the crowdfunding page states. “Robert dedicated his life to protecting the innocence of our children from those with malicious intentions.”
Youth Guardian “Boobac Shakur” Killed After Confronting Teens was originally published on hiphopwired.com
