Ann Arbor man faces illegal firearms charge after posting on social media

A 19-year-old Ann Arbor man is facing a charge of illegal possession of a machine gun after federal authorities discovered social media posts, one of which was possibly linked to a shooting in Detroit.

According to a federal criminal complaint, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives obtained records from Homeland Security Investigations in December 2025 for a website that was identified for alleged unlawful trafficking of National Firearms Act weapons, specifically machine gun conversion devices. Investigators found a purchase order of suspected machine gun conversion devices shipped to an address in Ann Arbor that was later linked to the suspect.

During that time, authorities were investigating a shooting in the 8200 block of Roselawn Street in Detroit, according to the complaint. A woman reported being grazed in the shooting and that her home had been struck a few weeks prior.

The woman told investigators that her son and other associates were in prison for a homicide that happened in Ann Arbor, and the friends of the homicide victim allegedly posted a threatening message on an Instagram account, according to the complaint.

According to the complaint, federal investigators obtained records of the account from Meta and discovered photos of the suspect with firearms, including guns equipped with machine gun conversion devices. Investigators also found an image that was posted on the suspect's private story on Dec. 19, 2025, with the caption, "We hit Roselawn again they kept on playing like we ain't stepping." The image appeared to show a "Mini Draco-style firearm capable of firing 7.62x39mm ammunition," according to the complaint.

Federal investigators submitted shell casings from the Detroit shooting to ATF's National Integrated Ballistic Information Network and found they were linked to casings that were recovered from five separate shootings in Southeast Michigan, including two non-fatal shootings in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. Authorities also discovered that the suspect did not have a valid federal firearm license.  

A search warrant of the suspect's home in May 2026 uncovered a stolen firearm and a yellow magazine that appeared identical to a magazine that was seen in one of the photos on Instagram, according to the complaint.

Federal authorities interviewed the suspect, who admitted to owning the Instagram account. The suspect admitted to being fascinated with ammunition and collecting them, but denied possessing firearms. The criminal complaint states the suspect declined to speak any further after investigators showed him pictures of himself with firearms on his social media account.