An anonymous 911 tip described a gun at a bus stop. After the stop and seizure, the recovery of the weapon was unlawful because the officers lacked what?

• A. Probable cause to arrest
• B. Reasonable suspicion that the male possessed a firearm
• C. Consent
• D. A warrant

Answer: (B)

The key idea is that police may stop and briefly detain a person only if they have reasonable suspicion that the person is involved in criminal activity. An anonymous tip describing a gun at a bus stop does not automatically give that link to the particular male at the scene. Without tying the weapon to the individual—i.e., without reasonable suspicion that he possessed or was armed with the firearm—the stop and the subsequent seizure of the weapon are not justified. An anonymous tip about a weapon can be unreliable, and courts often require corroborating facts that reasonably connect the person to the gun before a stop is permissible. Since the officers lacked evidence that this specific male possessed the firearm, the seizure was unlawful.