PONTIAC (WWJ) - A 17-year-old boy from Pontiac has been charged with the shooting death of an Oakland County man known for posing as a teen girl online to catch alleged sexual predators.
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald charged the juvenile the on Thursday, February 22, 2024 with homicide, carrying a concealed weapon, and felony firearm in connection to the fatal incident that occurred on September 29, 2023.
According to the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, Robert Lee, 40, was in a Pontiac restaurant on North Perry at MLK Boulevard around 10:30 p.m. Friday when he confronted two males -- the then 16-year-old defendant and his 18-year-old friend -- sitting at a table.
As captured on security footage, Lee approached the 18-year-old and before engaging in a physical altercation.
At the same time, the sheriff's office said the teen can be seen pulling out a semi-automatic firearm from his waistband. He then aimed directly at Lee and fired multiple rounds, striking the victim.
The juvenile and his friend ran from the restaurant on foot, leaving behind a badly injured Lee.
When emergency crews arrived at the scene, the 40-year-old was rushed to a local hospital where he died of his injuries, the sheriff's office said.
With the suspects on the run, authorities brought in a K9 team to try to track them down, but attempts to find the pair were unsuccessful for nearly a day.
The sheriff's office said its detectives and U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and Explosive Agents arrested the two suspects by early Saturday (Sept. 30, 2024) afternoon.
Lee had been on a one-man crusade, posing as a 15-year-old girl online, which has led to the arrest and criminal charges of several sexual predators, according to the sheriff's office. However, officials say he also sometimes identified people who were not sexual predators by mistake.
He went by the nickname "Boopac Shakur" and had over 11,000 followers on Facebook.
"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 under estimate the potential for violence confronting a suspected predator," Sheriff Mike Bouchard said, in a press release. "(The suspects) feel trapped and lash out violently…"
McDonald's office said a thorough investigation of the case yeilded no evidence that the shooting was related to any "sting" operation by the victim, as indicated in earlier reports.
"This is a tragic incident," stated McDonald. "A physical altercation turned deadly almost instantly because this individual chose to illegally carry a concealed, deadly weapon, and then to use it. The vast majority of gun violence deaths, including this one, are preventable."
In the months following the fatal shooting, the teen was held on charges, including assault with intent to murder and felony firearm, stemming from a separate non-fatal shooting incident on Sept. 20, 2023 where the teen allegedly open fired at a young man outside a Pontiac supermarket.
The trial regarding that encounter began on Thursday morning in front of Oakland County Circuit Court Family Division Judge Kameshia D. Gant.
"In both cases our office asked the court to designate the case, meaning that the 17-yearold will be tried as an adult but, if convicted, the judge will have the option to sentence him as a juvenile, as an adult, or he could receive a "blended sentence" that incorporates both juvenile rehabilitation and adult punishment," McDonald's office explained.
I convicted, each charge carries a maximum penalty of:
Homicide -- 15 years imprisonment and/or a fine up to $7,500
Carrying a Concealed Weapon -- 5 years imprisonment and/or a fine up to $2,500.
Assault with Intent to Murder -- life imprisonment or any term of years.
Felony Firearm -- two years mandatory imprisonment
