From Facebook to federal court: KC man live broadcasts himself to jail

A Kansas City man’s Facebook live broadcast of himself driving around while holding a gun had one very interested viewer.

And that viewer — a Kansas City police detective — captured the broadcast on his own video camera.

As a result, 24-year-old Deleon Reed is now charged in federal court with being a felon in possession of a firearm — a felony that could send him back to prison for up to 10 years.

The detective wrote in an affidavit that Reed had previously broadcast similar videos of himself with guns but had deleted them from his Facebook page.

So on Jan. 23, when Reed started his live broadcast, the detective recorded it. The detective knew that Reed was a convicted felon and could not legally possess a gun.

The next day, Kansas City police found Reed in a car in the 2800 block of East 73rd Street, according to the affidavit. Reed tried to run into a house, but the homeowner told him to leave and he was arrested.

Inside the car, police found two firearms, including a loaded .40-caliber handgun that looked like the gun Reed allegedly held in the video, according to the allegations.

When questioned, Reed denied any knowledge of the guns. But when the detective showed Reed screen shots of him holding the gun, Reed admitted that he bought the gun for $400 in early January, the affidavit said.

He has prior convictions for possession of a controlled substance and robbery of a motor vehicle, according to court records.

This story was originally published February 2, 2018 at 11:33 AM with the headline "From Facebook to federal court: KC man live broadcasts himself to jail."