PONTIAC, Mich. (WXYZ) — The Department of Justice (DOJ) Eastern District has charged a Detroit man for displaying a firearm in multiple social media posts.
Christopher Lee Bey, a convicted felon, has been under investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) after the agency received reports from multiple sources saying from May 2023 to July 2023 he engaged in gun violence in Pontiac and Detroit.
The ATF says Bey posted multiple images on Facebook of a man holding a firearm. The man, the agency said is believed to be Bey.
In a DOJ affidavit filed on July 24, an ATF agent revealed the images posted to Bey’s Facebook page on April 14, 2023 shows a man wearing a mask with “Detroit" and "313" on it. A police source confirmed Bey received the mask as a gift. The source also confirmed the photo was taken at Bey's home.
The agent said they were able to positively identify Bey based on what he wore in a Facebook profile photo posted on July 21, 2023.
“On July 21, 2023, I observed the publicly available Facebook page of “Richard Terrance Black”, that displayed multiple images of what appears to be BEY brandishing a firearm. For example, in a video uploaded on April 14, 2023, I saw a black male with similar skin tone, size and stature as BEY, wearing a tank top with a black line, a black mask with “Detroit” and “313” in white stitching, and black sunglasses,” the ATF said.
As a convicted felon, Bey is prohibited from possessing, purchasing, and manufacturing firearms. He has been charged with felon in possession of a firearm.
“According to Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) records, BEY served approximately nineteen years and nine months in prison between May 10, 1999 and February 16, 2019. During that time, he incurred 242 documented misconducts. His maximum term of incarceration for the 1999 Oakland County convictions was twenty years,” the ATF said.
“Probable cause exists that, on or about April 14, 2023, within the Eastern District of Michigan, Christopher Lee BEY, who knew he was a convicted felon, knowingly possessed a firearm, which had traveled in interstate commerce, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1).”
