Mastodawn

Vigilante Pedophile Hunter Killed While Confronting Teens

https://lemmy.world/post/6151473

Vigilante Pedophile Hunter Killed While Confronting Teens - Lemmy.world

A Michigan vigilante who amassed thousands of social media followers with his unauthorized hunts for pedophiles was shot and killed in a confrontation with two teenagers, police said. Robert Wayne Lee, 40, of Pontiac, was better known as Boopac Shakur online, where he would often pose as a 15-year-old girl to expose alleged predators. Authorities say that Lee accused one of the teens at a local restaurant of being a pedophile and punched him—leading one of the boys to pull out a knife and the other to fire a gun. The suspects fled but were later arrested. The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office noted Lee’s unsanctioned activities—and their uneven results—in a news release about his slaying. “His one-man crusade has led to the arrest and criminal charges being filed against several men,” it said. “He has also mistakenly identified someone as a sexual predator who was not.” Videos that Lee posted to Facebook showed him confronting the men he corresponded with while posing as a minor in the style of the show To Catch a Predator. A GoFundMe to benefit his daughter said Lee “dedicated his life to protecting the innocence of our children from those with malicious intentions. Through his courageous efforts, he successfully exposed 132 predators who sought to harm our community’s youth.” However, in January, police confirmed just four arrests based on Lee’s videos, according to the Oakland Press. Police had asked Lee to stop his sting operations, but he persisted and even announced classes for others who wanted to follow suit. Lee denied he was a vigilante. “I’m a concerned citizen,” he told the Press. “A vigilante is doing police work without a badge.” “I’m just putting the fishing pole in the water and seeing who’s biting,” he added.

Solivine Oct 2, 2023

While it managed to catch 4 people, out of a total of 132 people that doesn’t sound very good, and might have even made it harder for the police to catch these people. One of them was found to be innocent, what if more of them were?

hh93 Oct 2, 2023

I really don’t understand the boner so many Americans seem to have for vigilantism

Just fix your goddamn police system - there’s a reason why vigilantism is outlawed since it’s too easy to misjudge or misidentify stuff and the consequences are horrible - let professionals do their job properly

Sir_Kevin Oct 2, 2023

I think that’s just it right there. Our police system is completely broken and for-profit. People want justice. So out of desperation they’re seeking it themselves.

subignition Oct 2, 2023

Just fix your goddamn police system - there’s a reason why vigilantism is outlawed since it’s too easy to misjudge or misidentify stuff and the consequences are horrible - let professionals do their job properly

We've tried that, but the problem is they can't seem to do it without executing people, and/or the neighbor's dog, for fun.

Potatos_are_not_friends Oct 2, 2023

Listen, in order to reduce crime in America, sometimes a bunch of innocent dogs, people in wheelchairs, children playing with toys, and people getting health checks have to die.

Im14abeer Oct 2, 2023

Don’t forget flash banging infants in cribs sometimes they need to follow up with a bullet through the neck

Ga. cops critically injure 19-month-old baby with flash bang device during raid, report says

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said police in Habersham County, Ga., accidentally threw a flash bang device - meant to disorient suspects - into a playpen where a 19-month-old was sleeping during a raid early Wednesday morning

CBS News

Cryophilia Oct 2, 2023

If we just kill everyone, there will be no more criminals. Flawless logic.

Zahille7 Oct 2, 2023

I think part of it has something to do with the popularity of superhero movies like Batman and such. Honestly I think having the world’s biggest movie production system has been a net negative for Americans and humanity as a whole.

kalleboo Oct 2, 2023

The US also has very much of a “cowboy” self image

snooggums Oct 2, 2023

Cowboy justice in movies is kind of a semi whitewashed version of lynching.

MNByChoice Oct 2, 2023

I think the cause is the other way around. We had vigilantes long before Batman. Cowboy movies weren’t making this stuff up.

SCB Oct 2, 2023

Cowboy movies made a LOT of shit up. The Wild West was not full of gunfights

JustAManOnAToilet Oct 2, 2023

I mean, you can visit the OK Corral and see where the bullets are lodged in the walls anytime you’d like.

SCB Oct 2, 2023

Yep. That’'s one.

Point is any old Western with a shootout is more likely to be totally false than even partially true.

Zahille7 Oct 4, 2023

I remember reading somewhere that the “Old West” actually had pretty strict gun control.

Iirc, the usual practice was to turn in your guns to the sheriff as soon as you got to town. You had to have a license or some official form stating you had the right to carry your gun with you, but it was still limited to basically just LEOs.

flipht Oct 2, 2023

Alan Moore, who wrote Watchmen, was trying to make this point through his media, but he also explicitly stated it in interviews. He was like, "Y'all do realize that superhero stuff is fascist power fantasy, right? You shouldn't like this stuff as an adult."

Patapon Enjoyer Oct 2, 2023

Love his work as Rasputin impersonator.

GCostanzaStepOnMe Oct 4, 2023

I don’t believe Moore ever said “y’all”

afraid_of_zombies Oct 2, 2023

Vigilantism is not a modern invention. I am sorry not all movies are arthouse and that makes you sad.

moody Oct 2, 2023

Oh sure, lemme just fix the police system real quick. Give me a minute. I don’t know why nobody thought of that!

miversen33 Oct 2, 2023

Well shit if only we’d known all we had to do was fix it quick!

Silly us!

El Barto Oct 2, 2023

That’s it? Just fix the police system?? Whoa, why didn’t we think of doing this sooner?!

Steeve Oct 2, 2023

Why don’t I just strap on my fix the police system helmet and hop in the fix the police system cannon and fire myself into fix the police system town where police reform grows on trees?

athos77 Oct 2, 2023

While we do have a problem with vigilantes deciding that their contribution is vitally necessary to keep things running (see: Kyle Rittenhouse), I'm not really sure this qualifies as vigilantism in support of the law or even to protect kids from predators. Honestly, this just strikes me as yet another wannabe influencer/YT 'star', only instead of 'restoring' old items, cleaning cars/yards/houses, edging over weird 'recipes', or popping pimples, this guy's schtick was 'going after pedophiles'.

agent_flounder Oct 2, 2023

Fixing the police is great but I don’t think that’s enough to reduce child rape.

Find the causes—childhood abuse / neglect, most likely—and aggressively address these social ills. Find more reliable ways to rehabilitate and use it for those convicted. Among other things.

kent_eh Oct 2, 2023

Just fix your goddamn police system

Policing doesn’t prevent crimes.

And it was never really intended to.

hh93 Oct 2, 2023

Vigilantism also doesn’t - what’s your point?

kent_eh Oct 5, 2023

I never suggested that it did.

itsnicodegallo Oct 2, 2023

I went through a period where I binge watched a bunch of episodes of that show, but I read that it was difficult to convict some of the people they caught because adults posing as children to lure people into getting arrested is considered entrapment or something. Therefore, their method of catching them could be considered unlawful, leading to the case being thrown out.

TheBlue22 Oct 3, 2023

Actual police has better stats than this dude, and police is garbage

Flying Squid Oct 2, 2023

Maybe punching a suspected pedophile is not the best way to bring them to justice?

Salamendacious Oct 2, 2023

That was my first thought. I can only imagine he wasn’t able to control his anger in the moment. I’m sure he saw himself as doing important work. It’s sad that a child is going to grow up without a father now.

Grammaton Cleric Oct 2, 2023

It is the most direct way, though. The shortest route between two points is a straight line.

agent_flounder Oct 2, 2023

How do you figure?

In what way will a punch prevent a child rapist from wrecking the lives of more children?

Will it somehow cause them to stop? Will it cause them to face charges for their crimes? Lead to therapy in hopes of reform?

I don’t see how a punch is likely to do any of these things.

Anything resulting in their arrest and conviction? Great. Do that.

Grammaton Cleric Oct 2, 2023

It was a joke, jfc

Bridger Oct 2, 2023

punching an innocent kid while falsely accusing them of being a pedophile and being shot in response though does have the ring of poetic justice…

Grammaton Cleric Oct 2, 2023

Can’t believe you took that seriously

kent_eh Oct 2, 2023

Especially when he has accused innocent people in the past.

ShittyRedditWasBetter Oct 2, 2023

Idiot. Left a kid behind.

Salamendacious Oct 2, 2023

Idiot seems unnecessarily harsh but his child is truly an innocent victim here

aubertlone Oct 2, 2023

I don’t know that it is unnecessarily harsh.

A guy with no training going around trying to catch pedophiles. He’s not the only one doing it in the US, and it’s almost always for clout.

People trying to be Mark Hanson and catch predators, except they don’t have a team of people and actual police contacts to help them. And it’s not because they’re so concerned about possible victims. It’s cuz they wanna play hero and put some shine on their name.

This dude managed to get himself killed and leave behind a dependent child. He kinda WAS being an idiot. I feel bad for the kid.

Salamendacious Oct 2, 2023

He’s dead. To me calling him an idiot is like spitting on his grave. It seems unnecessary. I’m not saying that it is or isn’t accurate.

GreenMario Oct 2, 2023

We should be allowed to speak Ill/talk shit about the dead.

Salamendacious Oct 2, 2023

I never said that you weren’t allowed I just don’t think it’s appropriate. You’re free to say whatever you want.

cley_faye Oct 2, 2023

Dying doesn’t turn your past actions into good deeds.

Salamendacious Oct 2, 2023

I never implied that they did. He’s dead. His child is fatherless. I just don’t see the purpose in insulting him to boot. It’s like beating a dead horse.

GCostanzaStepOnMe Oct 4, 2023

Or a dead man. Which he is.

bobman Oct 2, 2023

Police had asked Lee to stop his sting operations

And replace them with what? What are the useless cops going to do?

Unless a business-owner is complaining, cops won’t do shit. They don’t care.

AliceTheMinotaur Oct 2, 2023

As you seemingly care, how about we replace them with you

bobman Oct 2, 2023

Replace the cops with me? So I can be useless too?

What logic goes through your head, lol.

AliceTheMinotaur Oct 2, 2023

You said it yourself your just as useless, that’s my logic

bobman Oct 2, 2023

No, I said cops were useless and joining them would make me useless too.

I would have to do things myself without the backing of the department to be useful.

that’s my logic

dasgoat Oct 3, 2023

I’m sure you’re extremely capable at being useless

macallik Oct 2, 2023

This guy was selling classes on being a pedophile-stopper while most of these youtube pedo chaser operate in ways that don't lead to prosecution.

He stopped at 17 year old from talking to a 15-year-old, which isn't exactly making the world a better place

Guy Ingonito Oct 2, 2023

There is something so weird about this. I don’t think these guys are trying to protect children, I think they are getting off on the roleplaying and using the ‘hunting predators’ thing as an excuse to justify it.

glitches_brew Oct 2, 2023

I dont think I fully understand the point you’re trying to make.

Let’s say hypothetically you’re correct for a moment, which I don’t personally believe that you are. Would it not be the best case scenario to have the people who have an impulse to hunt people, be hunting people who are pedophiles? So to your point I say, so what?

I think this was a commendable way to spend a life. I’m very thankful for people like this. Being touched by specific types of pain and suffering can lead people to either repeat the cycle that brought them harm, or then can seek to destroy it. This gentleman was likely in the latter group and I believe those people are the good ones.

NOT_RICK Oct 2, 2023

Nah, if you want to help people who are SA victims volunteer at an NGO or become a detective. People like this actively harm investigations and I get the impression that most are just clout chasers.

SCB Oct 2, 2023

Would it not be the best case scenario to have the people who have an impulse to hunt people, be hunting people who are pedophiles?

The problem with supporting vigilantism is that vigilantes are wrong a lot and there is no recourse or protection against that.

“It’s ok if it’s people I don’t like” is no the mindset of an emotionally mature human.

Ð Greıt Þu̇mpkin Oct 3, 2023

Yeah seriously, actual cops and detectives with actual training, as minimal as it is, get it wrong plenty, imagine how often some jagoff with no training is going to end up attacking an innocent?

Martytix Oct 2, 2023

I’ve never seen a comment that has this much 2013 reddit energy. It’s like looking through a portal.

Fascinating.