Man faces weapons charges after posting photos of himself with rifle on Instagram
By Paula Wethington
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DETROIT, Michigan (WWJ) — A Detroit man is facing federal charges after the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives looked into the circumstances of social media images that showed firearms.
A criminal complaint filed May 22 with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan alleges two violations against Vincent Edwards, also known as Boona or Skoon, of Detroit. The violations are felon in possession of a firearm and illegal possession of a machine gun in Wayne County.
A series of images posted in 2023 on an Instagram social media app specified in court documents included a man “in possession of several suspected firearms.”
The affidavit filed by a special agent with the ATF said a federal search warrant was served May 21 at Edwards’ home on Patton Street in Detroit. Edwards and four other people were at the home at the time, including his mother.
The items found included two multi-caliber rifles, one of which his mother claimed ownership of. The other was equipped with a machinegun conversion device and had a magazine loaded with about 60 rounds of live ammunition. The appearance of both weapons matches the weapons in the earlier Instagram posts, the report said.
The federal search warrant also permitted a search of a cellular device where a video was recorded in 2024 showing a man in possession of firearms. The residence shown in that video clip appears to be the Detroit house where the search warrant was conducted, the court report said.
The ATF has, in the meantime, determined that Edwards was a prior felon and further does not have the proper licenses to possess, manufacture or sell these types of firearms, the affidavit said.
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