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Crazy People Are Dangerous: Black ‘Sovereign Citizen’ Shoots Memphis Cop

Posted on | March 15, 2024 | Comments Off on Crazy People Are Dangerous: Black ‘Sovereign Citizen’ Shoots Memphis Cop

Say hello to Geronimo Kee, 22, who was behind the wheel of a Nissan doing 81 mph in a 55 mph zone on I-240 at 4 o’clock in the morning when he was pulled over by Memphis Police 2nd Lt. Bobby Johnson. The officer wrote Kee a speeding ticket, but Kee refused to sign the ticket:

“When 2nd Lt. Bobby Johnson went back to the driver and asked him to sign the citation, Mr. Kee refused and rolled his window up,” the affidavit read. “2nd Lt. Johnson requested additional backup and advised Mr. Kee several times that if he did not sign the ticket he would be taken to jail. Mr. Kee would only roll his window down enough to speak with 2nd Lt. Johnson.”
According to the affidavit, Johnson spoke with Kee for the next 14 minutes, trying to convince Kee to sign the speeding ticket.
“Mr. Kee made the statement, ‘You’re going to have to kill me,’ several times during this encounter,” the affidavit read.
More back and forth took place, with Johnson ultimately telling Kee that he would be under arrest and that Johnson would have to break his window to place Kee in custody, if he continued to refuse to sign the ticket, the affidavit read.
“Mr. Kee refused to get out of the vehicle to sign the citation yet again,” it said. “2nd Lt. Johnson then broke the driver’s side door window and Mr. Kee fired several shots, striking 2nd Lt. Johnson multiple times. Officer Forrest [who had arrived as backup on the stop] fired back at Mr. Kee in defense of 2nd Lt. Johnson. Mr. Kee sped off southbound on 240 South.”

Kee was able to escape, temporarily, with the assistance of four accomplices — Zaire Kee, 24, Tezaree Pennington, 42, Kennedy Williams, 23, and Malik Oliver, 25 — according to police. Pennington is Kee’s mother; Williams is his girlfriend. Kee was apparently wounded in the hand by the second officer’s gunfire, and the accomplices were treating his wound while harboring the fugitive at the girlfriend’s house.

Keep in mind, this was all about a speeding ticket. From the moment I heard about this shooting last week, with the description of Kee’s actions — rolling up the window and refusing to sign the ticket — I suspected he was a “sovereign citizen,” a type of kook I’ve written about before:

The sovereign citizen movement is a loose grouping of American litigants, commentators, tax protesters, and financial-scheme promoters. Self-described “sovereign citizens” see themselves as answerable only to their particular interpretations of the common law and as not subject to any government statutes or proceedings. In the United States, they do not recognize U.S. currency and maintain that they are “free of any legal constraints.” . . .
In surveys conducted in 2014 and 2015, representatives of U.S. law enforcement ranked the risk of terrorism from the sovereign-citizen movement higher than the risk from any other group, including Islamic extremists, militias, racists, and neo-Nazis.

For a long time, the “sovereign citizen” movement was a largely white phenomenon, considered “right wing,” but in recent years it has spread to the black community, probably due to the influence of social media and, in particular, YouTube videos. My suspicion about Geronimo Kee was confirmed after he made his first court appearance:

After walking into the courtroom, Judge Johnson asked Kee if he’d be able to make his $175,000 bond.
“All criminal cases are commercial,” Kee said. “I am a natural man, created by Yahweh and subject to natural law. Let the record show that.”
“I’m not sure what the record is showing, but OK,” Judge Johnson said. “Are you able to make your $175,000 bond?”
“Shelby County is holding me against my will,” Kee replied. “Through coercion, assault and torture they have forced my fingerprints through the intake process. I have the report right here that shows Shelby County is holding me against my will.” . . .
Kee’s comments, along with his alleged refusal to sign a speeding citation, suggest that the 22-year-old may identify as a sovereign citizen. The sovereign citizen movement is defined by the Anti-Defamation League as “an extreme anti-government movement whose members believe the government has no authority over them.”
“Alright. I’m sure they are holding you against your will,” Judge Johnson said. “I’m asking you if you’re able to make your bond.”
Kee then began repeating that “all criminal cases are commercial.”
“That sentence doesn’t even make sense,” Judge Johnson said. “All criminal cases are commercial. You mean like a TV commercial?”
Kee then made comments about an “artificial burden” and talking about the 14th amendment.
“I am a natural man, created by Yahweh and subject to natural law,” Kee said. . . .
“And you’re subject to the laws of Tennessee too,” replied Judge Johnson.
“I am not subject to admiralty or maritime law,” Kee said.
“Maritime law?” questioned Judge Johnson. “Are we on a ship? OK. I’m not aware of that. Are you able to hire an attorney?”
Judge Johnson then interrupted Kee as he once again recited his speech, asking a court employee to order a mental evaluation for the 22-year-old.
“It sounds like Mr. Kee does not want to be represented by anybody and he’s speaking nonsense,” Judge Johnson said. “Can you fill out a mental evaluation form for me for the suspect?”
Kee was ordered back to court on March 25.
“Shelby County is holding me against my will,” Kee said as he was led out of the courtroom.

You know what the finding of the court-ordered mental evaluation will be? The suspect is “daft, deranged, demented, berserk, bonkers, off their rockers, a few fries short of a Happy Meal and cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs.”

A little more background: When he was 18 and being held at a juvenile detention center, Geronimo Kee was charged with vandalism, escaping custody of an officer, and inciting a riot after he and fellow inmates caused a disturbance: “Authorities say several housing pods were damaged in the incident and cinder blocks were used to break windows, doors, security mirrors and security cameras.” Also, after the judge initially set Kee’s bond in the shooting at $175,000, the Memphis Police Association complained and the bond was increased to $500,000. Frankly, I think he should have been held without bond. Shooting a cop over a simple traffic ticket? You’re an eminent danger to public safety.

Finally, the good news is that Lt. Johnson survived, despite being shot four times. He’s black, the Memphis police chief is also black, and therefore there is no racial “angle” that would draw the interest of the national media to this crime. But it’s important to be aware of the problems caused by “sovereign citizens,” because they’re crazy and, as I keep reminding you: Crazy People Are Dangerous.



 

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Category: Crime, Tennessee

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