Police fatally shoot ‘sovereign citizen’ after he refuses to show ID when turning over stray animal

Have you ever read an article that just makes you say WTF? Well this is one for me.

I follow the Sovereign Citizen Movement quite closely. I find their ideology a bit off balance, their tactics ("paper terrorism") annoying, and the actions of some very dangerous. But to be killed for attempting to turn in a stray animal?

So what if he was a sovereign citizen. So what if he had a prior history of arrests. So what if he didn't have ID. All he was doing was turning in a stray and for that he was executed without trial.

Investigators said 30-year-old Robert Earl Lawrence became disorderly as he attempted to turn over a stray animal about 12:30 p.m. to the Dothan City Animal Shelter when an employee told him he could not leave without showing identification.

He instead showed paperwork that identified him as a sovereign citizen and, therefore, not bound by federal, state, or local laws.

Employees called police, who attempted to arrest Lawrence after they said he refused to calm down.

Police said Lawrence struggled with the arresting officer, who then shot him in the abdomen.

Lawrence died about 9:50 p.m., authorities said.

Police fatally shoot ‘sovereign citizen’ after he refuses to show ID when turning over stray animal