US: Paedophile catcher shot dead as teens pump several bullets into him after dust up

A social media influencer known for exposing alleged child sexual predators in his videos online was allegedly shot dead by two teenagers following a confrontation bid inside a Michigan restaurant. Robert Wayne Lee, 40, aka “Boopac Shakur” reportedly conducted covert investigations by posing a 15-year-old girl to trap paedophiles into meetings. According to reports, Lee had over 50,000 followers online and in the past few years, he had exposed over 132 such suspects. He was even warned by police to not get involved in such probes over concerns that he could also harm himself. In the recent incident, which led to his untimely death, Lee approached two young men at a restaurant and accused one of them of being a paedophile. He also punched him which prompted the man to pull out a knife, officials said. Amid the scuffle, the other man allegedly pulled out a pistol and shot Lee several times, law enforcement officials revealed. Following the shooting, the duo fled the scene while Lee was taken to a hospital, where he pronounced dead at arrival. The teenagers, one aged 17 and the other 18, were later arrested but their identities were withheld by police. The sheriff’s office said investigators believe the 17-year-old was the shooter. Fans and friends flooded Lee’s Facebook page after his death. Even though some of his encounters led to arrests, local officials said his practices put himself and others at risk. Reports reveal that a variety of people including Lee drew his inspiration from an NBC show ‘How To Catch a Predator’, which ran from 2004 to 2008. The show, however, had ended after one of the targets killed himself. But, the concept, however, became more and more popular on the internet, also because people were just being introduced to social media and its peculiarities. As a result, many like lee employed the modus operandi of the show to become popular in the local community and social media. As per cops, they never welcomed the suo-moto action of the public and ensured timely warnings against this particular kind of activism. As per a Washington Post report, a recent uptick in the practice has been fuelled by right-wing rhetoric about people grooming children and the need to “save the children”. It comes with risk. Predator catchers have caught those meaning to harm children, but some have also been shot or ruined the lives of innocent people. Lee was just one of many whom police urged to stop hunting paedophiles online. Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard told The Oakland Press in January that Lee meant and did well – Bouchard said Lee’s videos had led to four arrests – but the sheriff advised against the practice because it could spoil a prosecution and “most importantly it can be dangerous”. One of Lee’s successful targets was an Oakland County sheriff’s deputy working in the county jail, according to the reports. The deputy was charged with one count of accosting a child for immoral purposes. After Lee’s death, Bouchard maintained his stance that the activities were, on balance, not helpful. “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,” Bouchard said.