DETROIT – An Ann Arbor teen is accused of using his Instagram to post pictures and captions bragging about guns and machine gun conversion devices -- including a post that federal investigators say is linked to a shooting that hurt a woman in Detroit.
Investigators said they found a machine gun conversion device (MCD) and ammunition during a search of the Ann Arbor home of Armon Carleton Daniel, 19, leading to allegations that he illegally possessed a “machine gun” under federal law.
Recommended Videos
According to investigators with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in Detroit, they received records from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) tied to a website identified for unlawful trafficking of National Firearms Act weapons -- “specifically MCDs.”
An MCD is an aftermarket device designed to convert a semi-automatic firearm to fully automatic fire. Under federal definitions, a conversion device or “auto sear” is considered a “machinegun,” and it “allows a firearm to fire more than one projectile with a single pull of the trigger.”
Investigators reviewing records from HSI identified at least one December 2025 order believed to have been made by Daniel and shipped to a home on Chelsea Circle in Ann Arbor.
Shootings allegedly tied to Daniel
Federal investigators also described shootings in Detroit in December of 2025 on Roselawn near Belton. Detroit police were dispatched for a reported gunshot wound and later contacted a 911 caller, who initially “suffered a graze wound to her right thigh,” the feds said. The caller allegedly told officers she and a man were inside when they heard gunshots, and that she was hit as she tried to leave her bedroom.
The caller also told officers her home had been shot at about two weeks earlier, but she did not know who was responsible. When asked if she knew anyone who would intentionally harm her, the feds said her son and others were incarcerated in connection with a homicide in Ann Arbor. She also allegedly told police that friends of the homicide victim had posted threatening messages on Instagram under the username “@Armizey.”
Instagram brags?
The post, she said, stated: “We hit Roselawn again they kept on playing like we ain’t stepping,” and included an image of what the feds described as a “7.62 caliber Mini Draco-style firearm” in the background.
Investigators said they later served Meta and its platforms with a search warrant for records related to the Instagram account. Meta records showed the verified email associated with “@Armizey” and a phone number -- both allegedly linked to Daniel. Record checks also listed Daniel’s Ann Arbor address.
The ATF said they saw “numerous references and photos” attributing the account to Daniel, including images of firearms, firearms “equipped with machinegun conversion devices,” bags containing “dozens of loose MCDs,” and suspected narcotics.
One image posted to the account’s private story on Dec. 19, 2025, carried the same caption the caller referenced on Roselawn and the firearm shown “appeared consistent with a Mini Draco-style firearm capable of firing 7.62x39mm ammunition.”
Ballistic evidence from the December Roselawn shootings was entered into ATF’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN), which compares fired cartridge casings with other recovered casings, the feds said. NIBIN leads linked casings and later firearm recoveries to at least five shootings in Southeast Michigan, including a non-fatal drive-by shooting in Ann Arbor in December 2025 and a non-fatal shooting in Ypsilanti in October 2024, the ATF said.
Daniel’s home searched
On May 29, 2026, the ATF, HSI, Ann Arbor police and Michigan State Police searched Daniel’s Ann Arbor home after getting a warrant the day before. During the search, they said they encountered Daniel, his mother, and her 16-year-old son.
Investigators said they found a stolen Anderson Manufacturing Model AM-15 5.56 caliber AR-style pistol. The firearm was found in a bedroom on a bed, “partially separated” so the upper and lower receiver and internal parts were exposed, the feds said.
“Next to the firearm was a Machinegun Conversion Device (MCD), and a yellow magazine -- with a distinctive blue oval decal -- loaded with 30 live rounds of .556 ammunition,” an ATF Special Agent said, adding that the magazine appeared identical to one seen in a photo from the Instagram account.
An alleged ‘fascination’ with ammo
When interviewed, the feds said Daniel waived his rights and agreed to answer questions.
During the interview, Daniel allegedly said he lived at the Ann Arbor home for about a year and admitted possessing ammunition, saying he had a “fascination” with it and collected it. Daniel also admitted “@Armizey” was his Instagram account but denied ever possessing firearms.
But when Daniel was confronted with evidence that his account had pictures of him with firearms, Daniel allegedly said he no longer wanted to answer questions.
Daniel was temporarily detained. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 22, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. in federal court in Detroit.