Tevin Geike, 20, was left for dead in a parking lot near his base in Lakewood, Washington, in early hours of Saturday morning. Previously police said they believed the attack was racially motivated because attackers called Tevin a ‘cracker’ – a racist term for a white person. But after interviews police said they no longer believed the killing was a hate crime.
Senseless: Tevin Geike, right, was stabbed to death after an altercation with five black men in a car at 2.30am. His stepfather, Dean, left, also a serviceman, paid tribute to his dead son
Police today said the stabbing death of a white Army soldier allegedly at the hands of a group of African American comrades was not a hate crime – despite witnesses claiming they called him a ‘cracker’ during the confrontation.
Tevin Geike, 20, was left for dead in a parking lot near his base in Lakewood, Washington, in the early hours of Saturday morning and three soldiers have been arrested over the killing.
In the hours after the stabbing, police said they believed the attack was racially motivated because it was claimed some of the assailants – a group of five black men – called Tevin a ‘cracker’, a racist term for a white person.
But Lakewood police officers today said they no longer believed the killing to be a hate crime following the arrests and speaking to everyone they believed were involved.
All the suspects are from Joint Base Lewis-McChord and served in the same combat infantry unit as Tevin.
The accused are Jeremiah Hill, 23 – the alleged murderer – Cedarium Johnson, 21; and Ajoni Runnion-Bareford, 21. Two others are still being sought.
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