A man accused of shooting a Memphis Police lieutenant during a traffic stop is scheduled to appear in court today. Geronimo Kee, 22, faces charges including criminal attempted first-degree murder and evading arrest, after an incident that occurred on March 8th on Interstate 240 near South Parkway. Kee's reappearance in court follows a previous bond hearing where his bail was increased to $500,000.
According to an article by Action News 5, during the traffic stop that took place early in the morning, Kee was initially stopped for driving 80 mph in a 55 mph zone. After refusing to sign the ticket and being warned of potential arrest, he allegedly shot the officer multiple times. It was reported that the officer had to break Kee's window before shots were fired. Kee's first court appearance was marked by odd statements, where he told the judge he was being “held against his will” and disputed the charges.
Records indicate that the upcoming hearing is specifically for a mental evaluation, following a strange exchange between Kee and Judge Christian Johnson during his first court appearance. "All criminal cases are commercial," Kee stated in court, claiming to be a sovereign citizen governed by "natural law." "I am a natural man, created by Yahweh and subject to natural law. Let the record show that," Kee said. To this, Judge Johnson responded, "I'm not sure what the record is showing, but OK," as reported by FOX13 Memphis.
The bond was raised from $175,000 to $500,000 after input from the Memphis Police Association, which expressed concerns over the original amount. This happened following a post the organization made on social media as Local Memphis cited. Kee remains detained at Shelby County Jail pending further proceedings.
