Washington Post – by Mark Berman
Four months before a married couple shot and killed two Las Vegas police officers and a bystander, the police visited their home and determined that they didn’t pose any threat, authorities said Wednesday.
Detectives were dispatched to the home of Jerad Miller in February because the Southern Nevada Counter-Terrorism Center was alerted that he had made threatening remarks to a government agency in Indiana, Kevin C. McMahill, assistant sheriff of Clark County, said during a briefing with reporters.
Miller and his wife, Amanda, were both home when the “seasoned detectives” visited to ask about the threats to the Indiana Department of Motor Vehicles, McMahill said. Jerad Miller was angry with department because his license had been suspended, but he denied threatening to shoot anyone and did not display any “anti-government or anti-police” intentions.
“The interaction with these officers was described as normal,” McMahill said. “There wasn’t anything that would have caused them any concern.”
This echoes something that happened in Santa Barbara, Calif., before a shooting there two weeks ago: A month before a gunman went on a violent rampage in a sunny beach town there, officers visited him and determined that he didn’t pose any threat.
Police also revealed more information on Wednesday about how Sunday’s violent episode, which they said began with the Millers shooting a pair of Las Vegas police officers eating lunch and ended with a shootout inside a Wal-Mart, ultimately concluded. In particular, officials changed a key part of what they had said earlier in the week.
Initially, authorities believed that Amanda Miller shot and killed her husband before taking her own life. A coroner has determined that Jerad Miller was killed by police gunfire during the firefight inside the Wal-Mart, McMahill said
McMahill said the “dramatic difference” in explaining how Jerad Miller died stemmed from the Wal-Mart’s surveillance footage, which an officer was monitoring during the shootout. Police screened a brief clip of the footage for reporters, showing the couple in what appears to be the corner of the store, with items piled around them. The footage appears to show Amanda Miller aiming her weapon at her husband and firing, but after reviewing the other forensic evidence, authorities concluded that she did not shoot him.
Investigators are still reviewing all of the video evidence captured at the CiCi’s Pizza where the officers were killed as well as footage from the nearby Wal-Mart. This graphic footage “shows you exactly how ruthless and cold-blooded these murderers were,” McMahill said.
A makeshift memorial at the CiCi’s Pizza. (John Locher/AP)
Before taking the weapons from the two police officers in the CiCi’s, the Millers brought three guns with them on Sunday: a Smith and Wesson handgun, a Ruger revolver and a Winchester shotgun. All of the weapons were unregistered in Nevada, McMahill said. None were reported as stolen. How the couple obtained these weapons is part of the investigation, he added.
Police also had two other interactions with the Millers this year, McMahill said, both times because they were asked about reported crimes happening near them. In April, the Millers were witnesses to a report of domestic violence. And in May, just weeks before police say the Millers walked into a CiCi’s Pizza and killed two officers, the couple was contacted because an acquaintance of theirs was accused of sexual assault.
“We determined there was nothing that stood out that would have indicated to us that these suspects were anti-police or intended any harm to our police officers,” McMahill said of these encounters.
McMahill said police are not linking the shooting to the Millers visiting Cliven Bundy’s ranch earlier this year. An armed group of supporters went to Bundy’s Nevada ranch during a standoff with federal agents in April. The Millers went to the ranch but were asked to leave because of their conduct, Bundy’s son said.
“There were a lot of people with a lot of ideology” at the ranch, McMahill said. “But as you well know, in the hundreds of people who were at the Bundy ranch, these are the only two who went from ideology to action.”
Authorities are still trying to determine why the shooting occurred on Sunday, they said. Clark County Sheriff Douglas C. Gillespie said that they still believe the Millers were “acting alone.” He said investigators are poring over the material the Millers left behind and trying to figure out their thought process leading up to Sunday’s bloodshed.
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Mark Berman is a reporter on the National staff. He anchors Post Nation, a destination for breaking news and interesting stories around the country. He encourages you to follow him on Twitter (@themarkberman), but only if you feel like it.
“This echoes something that happened in Santa Barbara, Calif., before a shooting there two weeks ago: A month before a gunman went on a violent rampage in a sunny beach town there, officers visited him and determined that he didn’t pose any threat.”
Yes, just continue to “echo” the MSM propaganda machine to portray everyone with a gun as evil.
“McMahill said the “dramatic difference” in explaining how Jerad Miller died stemmed from the Wal-Mart’s surveillance footage, which an officer was monitoring during the shootout. Police screened a brief clip of the footage for reporters, showing the couple in what appears to be the corner of the store, with items piled around them. The footage appears to show Amanda Miller aiming her weapon at her husband and firing, but after reviewing the other forensic evidence, authorities concluded that she did not shoot him.”
I’m sorry, but what kind of dumbass sheriff can conclude by looking at that footage for the first time, that she shot the guy or herself in that video clip OR that anyone shot anyone OR that even those were the two people?
“Investigators are still reviewing all of the video evidence captured at the CiCi’s Pizza where the officers were killed as well as footage from the nearby Wal-Mart. This graphic footage “shows you exactly how ruthless and cold-blooded these murderers were,” McMahill said.”
Really? That’s great that it shows us all of that. So can we see it or do we just take your word for it?
Unfrigginbelievable….
I think this article was written to convince people that “anyone can be a domestic terrorist” or a mass shooter, and even a “seasoned detective” can’t know for sure by talking to him, so you should report all suspicious activity immediately.
The result they’re looking for is more rat bastards reporting any gun owner to the police.
Yes, they want a nation of Snitches. MSM has jumped on this quote from a neighbor:
“A neighbor told the Los Angeles Times that on Sunday morning, Jerad Miller had pulled out swastikas and an Army insignia and said he was going to put one on every police officer they killed. ”I’m thinking, ‘Right. They’re not going to do that,” Kelly Fielder said. “I should have called the cops. I feel I have the deaths of five people on my shoulders. The signs were there.”
Fielder described Jerad Miller as hateful of the government and of President Obama, while she said Amanda Miller was ‘a good girl who would do anything to make her man happy.’ ”
All the outlets (esp. our local ones) are saying “WHY didn’t they Call?!…’If you SEE something SAY something’…people need to call the cops if they hear or see Anything suspicious…”
🙁
I see. Thanks, Angel. I don’t see much mainstream media stuff, so I’m not always up to speed on what the propaganda goals are, but based on what you’re saying here, I think you’re absolutely right.
They’re depending on everyone ratting each other out, and if that’s the case, the strategy will only work as long as their psy-ops are convincing, and I don’t think many people are buying this crap anymore.
The sheeple in this city, and those who believe in Bloomie’s gun control crews, are eating it up hook line and sinker. (Plus programing their children to “rat,” also.)
Sad.
Hey Angel. my area is full of mind numbed robots as well. So frustrating. Makes me furious. People are soooo ignorant.
“All the outlets (esp. our local ones) are saying “WHY didn’t they Call?!…’If you SEE something SAY something’…people need to call the cops if they hear or see Anything suspicious…””
The MSM is so pathetic. Why didn’t they call? Gee….Maybe because they didn’t want the cops to come and beat the hell out of them just for calling. Maybe because they are more afraid of the cops than anyone else. Duh!
“Police also revealed more information on Wednesday about how Sunday’s violent episode, which they said began with the Millers shooting a pair of Las Vegas police officers eating lunch and ended with a shootout inside a Wal-Mart, ultimately concluded.”
Which WHO said? The cops said???
Then it MUST be true.
“In particular, officials changed a key part of what they had said earlier in the week.”
Which will undoubtedly change another half dozen times before they settle on the final version.
Who the hell writes these lousy scripts, anyway.
Put the blame on the “seasoned detectives” whatever the hell that is. Fire them for incompetence. Nobody else can not do their job & get away with it. Most blame is on the perps, of course. Quit letting incompetent cops BS their way through every screwup.