Moorish sovereign shoots three police officers, killing one
On Friday, February 9, 2018, two Henry County Sheriff鈥檚 deputies arrived at the home of Tierre Guthrie in Locust Grove, Georgia, to serve an听听related to his failure to appear in court.
听 is a small, but growing, town of just under 6,000 people and is located about 40 miles southeast of Atlanta. Guthrie had reportedly skipped his court hearing for a minor .
Tierre Guthrie was a relatively newcomer to Georgia, having there from Connecticut. According to media sources, Guthrie once owned a freight company, but his business employed just one driver (himself). Guthrie had also enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps several years ago. According to a sister, Tierre had been unemployed for the past two months and was actively seeking work.
听As they arrived on scene, Michael Corley and Ralph 鈥淪id鈥� Callaway likely saw the sign plastered to the front of Guthrie鈥檚 residence that read 鈥淧rivate Property: No Trespassing. Violators Will Be Prosecuted.鈥� Despite this warning placard, the deputies had no reason to expect the situation to turn violent since the warrant involved a minor charge. As the deputies attempted to take him into custody, Guthrie reportedly became agitated and combative.
鈥淚t was obvious the individual wasn't going to go, that's why they called the Locust Grove officer to give more assistance,鈥� Henry County Sheriff said. 听Officer , a five-year veteran of the Locust Grove Police Department, arrived on scene to assist the deputies with arresting Guthrie.
As Maddox arrived, the situation quickly deteriorated and a physical altercation erupted between Guthrie and the deputies. Both sides drew their weapons and fired at each other. Neighbors reported hearing gunshots from inside the residence soon after Maddox鈥檚 arrival. During the gunfight, Maddox was struck three times by gunfire, once in the head. Both deputies were also struck as they attempted to fend off Guthrie鈥檚 violent aggression. Guthrie鈥檚 girlfriend and three small children, who were in the house, were not injured.
In the immediate aftermath, first responders learned that Guthrie had also been shot four times (twice in the chest) by the deputies. Guthrie died at the scene. Officer Maddox was rushed to a local hospital where he later died. The two deputies were also transported to the hospital. One deputy was released later that day. The other remains in stable condition after having emergency surgery.
Many details of what lead up to the shooting remain unclear. The has now taken over the investigation. At this time, investigators do not know who fired first, but they鈥檝e determined there were at least fired inside the home. Details about Guthrie鈥檚 background, however, soon began to emerge.
According to his sister, Guthrie was sympathetic to the Black Nationalist movement. About two weeks ago, Guthrie reportedly called his sister in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. According to media reports, their conversation quickly deteriorated when Guthrie began espousing extreme anti-government views and bizarre conspiracy theories. This was apparently a recurring theme of conversation in recent years. Wright said that during previous conversations Guthrie told her 鈥渢hat black people don鈥檛 have to pay for car insurance because we own the land.鈥� She said Guthrie was also suspicious of public education. As a result, he had his children pulled out of public schools and home schooled them.
Indeed, a review of Guthrie鈥檚 social media and reveal that he recently became a Moorish sovereign citizen around February 2016. On February 9, 2016, Guthrie posted a message to a Moorish Science Temple of America stating 鈥淧eace. I am a newcomer and I am here to learn.鈥� Further, Guthrie鈥檚 page contains this warning, 鈥淢y purpose is to share things that you may not see anywhere else鈥� As a result, some of my posts may offend you.鈥�
According to a neighbor, Guthrie had prior at his residence. Guthrie supposedly once told the that he didn鈥檛 recognize law enforcement authority and they did not have a right to step on his property.
are an African-American offshoot of the predominantly Caucasian sovereign citizen movement. Its members, called Moors, comprise a loose-knit network of independent Moorish organizations that emerged in the early 1990s. According to Moorish related websites, they believe Moors have descended from ancient indigenous civilizations such as the 鈥�,鈥� 鈥�,鈥� and . Moors believe this ancestry provides sovereignty over, and independence from, federal, state, and local governments.
Like other sovereign citizen groups, Moorish sovereign ideology breeds anti-government and anti-law enforcement sentiment through its radical ideology, which can inspire members to intimidate, threaten and harass government officials and law enforcement officers. are also known to produce fraudulent legal documents which they use against perceived enemies 鈥� especially publically elected officials they view as corrupt.听 Several recent incidents highlight Moorish sovereigns鈥� propensity for violence and criminal activity, such as the January 2017 shooting and vehicular assault of law enforcement officers in Orlando, Florida, by Markeith D. Loyd, and the July 2016 ambush killing of three police officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, by .
