Deadly Arkansas Shooting By 'Sovereigns' Jerry and Joe Kane Who Shun U.S. Law

July 1, 2010— -- A routine traffic stop in Arkansas turned into an extraordinarily violent shooting between police and a father-son pair of so-called "sovereign citizens" six weeks ago, shedding light on a secretive and dangerous subculture which believes American laws don't apply to them.

When police stopped a white minivan in West Memphis, Ark., on May 20, they had no idea that it would set off a chain of events that would result in the deaths of two officers as well as Jerry Kane and his 16-year-old son Joseph.

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Both Kanes were deeply immersed in the the anti-government movement known as "sovereign citizens," estimated to number in the hundreds of thousands across the country. Sovereigns frequently have run-ins with the law, and this time the confrontation proved deadly.

Video released by West Memphis authorities shows the graphic detail. As the officers questioned Jerry Kane, his son Joe suddenly leaped out of the minivan and opened fire on the officers with an AK-47 assault rifle.

Moments later, the father and son got back into the vehicle and drove off, with Joe still firing his rifle.

When first responders arrived, they found the two officers dead -- one in the street and the other in a ditch by the side of the road, shot in the head.

"Oh my f***ing God," said one officer on radio chatter as he drove up to the scene.

The word quickly went out on the radio to look for a white minivan, and more than an hour later, the Kanes' vehicle was spotted and surrounded in a Wal-Mart parking lot.

As the Kanes tried to escape, a fish and wildlife officer rammed his truck into their vehicle.

The Kanes began shooting at authorities again, firing at the wildlife officer's cab at close range. Incredibly, he was unharmed, but both Jerry and Joe Kane died in the ensuing gun battle.

"Officers did what they could to save the lives of their fellow officers and themselves, and you know, it has not been a difficult call for this office to say that this was a justified shoot," said Mike Walden, the prosecuting attorney for the second judicial district in Arkansas.