St. Paul Man Charged After Instagram Posts Allegedly Showed Handgun Equipped With Machine Gun Conversion Device
Published: July 31st, 2026.
SAINT PAUL: A St. Paul man is facing a felony charge after Ramsey County prosecutors allege Instagram posts led investigators to a handgun equipped with a machine gun conversion device capable of firing multiple rounds with a single pull of the trigger.
According to a criminal complaint filed in Ramsey County District Court, M'La Key, 18, of St. Paul, has been charged with one count of owning, possessing, or operating a machine gun, trigger activator, or machine gun conversion kit, a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison and/or a $35,000 fine.
According to the complaint, an investigator monitoring Key's public Instagram account observed videos allegedly showing him holding a handgun fitted with a red extended magazine and a red trigger activator.
The complaint alleges that on July 24, 2026, Key posted additional photos and videos showing himself at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Maplewood while handling the handgun. Prosecutors allege the posts included photos taken at the gravesite of Eh Lay, who died as a passenger in a vehicle that fled law enforcement and crashed. According to the complaint, Key was photographed alongside four other individuals wearing red clothing and displaying alleged gang hand signs.
Court documents state investigators believe Key is associated with the Blood-affiliated groups known as Minnesota Asian Killers (MAK) and Forever Scheming Boys (FSB). The complaint alleges those groups have been involved in weapons offenses, auto thefts, and assaults. Those allegations have not been proven in court.
Investigators later obtained search warrants for Key, any bags associated with him, and an address connected to him, according to the complaint.
On July 27, investigators tracked Key to the area of 101 Front Avenue before observing him leave the location with two other men and enter a vehicle, the complaint states. Officers stopped the vehicle near White Bear Avenue and Maryland Avenue in St. Paul.
According to prosecutors, Key was seated in the back seat when officers located a handgun with a drum magazine protruding from beneath the driver's seat. The complaint alleges the firearm had the same red trigger activator seen in Key's social media posts and that investigators believed the weapon was positioned where the driver and front-seat passenger could not access it.
Investigators arrested Key and later test-fired the handgun, according to the complaint. Prosecutors allege an investigator loaded five rounds into the firearm and, after pulling the trigger once, all five rounds were discharged. The complaint states the attached trigger activator caused the handgun to function as a fully automatic firearm.
The allegations contained in the complaint are based on the prosecution's version of events. Key is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.