Michigan man known for exposing child predators shot in confrontation

A Michigan man who proclaimed his expertise in exposing online child sexual predators, was fatally shot after a confrontation on Friday night, US media reported.

Robert Wayne Lee, 40, would appear online posing as a teenage girl to attract suspected pedophiles in order to expose them, according to the Oakland County sheriff's office as reported by CNN. Lee had more than 11,000 followers on Facebook and nearly 50,000 on Instagram.

Known online as "Boopac Shakur," some of his content would show various violent confrontations with exposed pedophiles and child predators.

Murdered after accusations of pedophilia 

Lee was killed following a confrontation with two teenagers on Friday night, after accusing one of the teens of pedophilia and throwing a punch. While one teen pulled a knife out, the other took out a pistol and shot Lee, local police reported.

Lee was transferred to the hospital for immediate medical care and later died of his injuries. The two suspects fled the scene but were arrested the next afternoon. Their identities have yet to be released, according to US media.

 Police acknowledged the charges that were filed against predators happened thanks to him, but that his efforts sometimes fell short. The police press release added that he led a “one-man crusade has led to the arrest and criminal charges being filed against several men,” but that “he has also mistakenly identified someone as a sexual predator who was not.”

“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,” Sheriff Michael Bouchard added.

In early 2023, Lee told his local newspaper The Oakland Press that he was "a vigilante doing police work without a badge." He told the outlet that he was inspired by his own three kids, all of which were school-aged children. He was also part of an online group called Dads Against Predators, modeling his actions off of NBC's To Catch a Predator segments.