Michael Randell Shannon

   

Michael Randell Shannon
Michael R. Shannon exiting a courthouse in Bernheim in 2011
Born	August 24th, 1971 Reno City, Reno, Sierra
Died	April 17th, 2014 (aged 42) Bernheim, San Joaquin
Cause of death	Assassination
Nationality	Sierran
Other names	Rico Cross (pen name)
Occupation	Author, Political activist
Organization	Provisional Sierran Republican Army
Known for	Leader of the Provisional SRA and member of its war council
Movement	Dissident republicanism

Michael Randell Shannon (August 24, 1971–April 17, 2014), commonly known by his pen-name Rico Cross, was a Sierran political activist and author who was a member of the War Council of the Provisional Sierran Republican Army as well as one of the organization's leaders. He was the leader of its political arm according to his testimony and official statements from the Provisional SRA and as such was the leader of the San Joaquin provincial chapter of the New Sierran Republicans. A known supporter of the republican movement, Michael R. Shannon was a leading figure of its most controversial sect, the dissident movement, and wrote for the dissident republican movement and supported dissident candidates under the pen name of Rico Cross.

He wrote for the Bernheim Daily newspaper and was vocal in his support for republican candidates such as Terry Scott and Carson Davis as well as donating to and raising awareness online for Democratic-Republican Party politicians who supported republicanism and the abolition of the monarchy. In 2010, Michael was revealed to have been the ghost writer Rico Cross and his ties to the Provisional SRA were revealed. He was arrested and put on trial in Bernheim after an attack was carried out by Provisional SRA members. He declared himself innocent and his charges were dropped due to insufficient evidence and was released free of conviction in 2011, but his activities were monitored by the Royal Bureau of Investigation.

Michael R. Shannon, commonly referred to as Rico by his supporters, continued to advocate for Democratic-Republican politicians and in 2013 when Governor Scott stated that he had intentions on running for prime minister in 2016 against then incumbent Steven Hong, he supported Scott and claimed that Hong was too "complacent" with the monarchy which he viewed as a dated and unequal institution. On April 17th, 2014, Rico was exiting a theater after attending a lecture on republicanism when he was attacked and shot dead by an unknown assailant. He was found dead when the police arrived and was given a funeral days later, a funeral that was held by the Provisional SRA and other militant dissident republican groups.

Since his death, many conspiracy theories have risen and range from claims that he was still alive to theories about his assassin. Many have claimed that the assassin was an agent of the RBI who killed him to suppress the dissident movement to claims that it was a hired assassin by the Royalist Party. On May 14th 2014, one month after his death, Democratic-Republican senator Christopher Miller, was assassinated in his home in Central Valley with many believing it was carried out as an act of revenge due to his support for the monarchy and willingness to collaborate with the Royalists in parliament. Since his death, a faction of hardline supporters of Rico formed their own separate group from the Provisional SRA known as Rico's Independent Republican Army and carried out a series of bombings and killings to avenge his death.

Assassination

Main Article: Assassination of Michael R. Shannon

Legacy

Retaliatory attacks

Main Article: Murder of Christoper Miller