Las Vegas Metro PD Officer Alyn Beck (Left) and Officer Igor Soldo (Photo: LVMPD)
At about 11:30 A.M. Sunday Officer Alyn Beck, 41, and Officer Igor Soldo, 31, of the Las Vegas Metro Police Department were eating lunch in a CiCi's Pizza on North Nellis Boulevard.
Much earlier that morning around 4:30 a.m. Jerad Miller, 31, and Amanda Miller, 22, left their apartment carrying handguns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition and walked about four miles to the CiCi's restaurant. They reportedly scouted the restaurant before entering. It is likely they spent much of the time between 4:30 and 11:30 watching the restaurant and waiting for officers to enter. Also, because they lived in the area, they probably knew that officers frequented that particular CiCi's.
The Millers entered the restaurant, acting like ordinary patrons. Jerad Miller walked past the officers. Some sources even say he exchanged pleasantries with them. As he walked past Officer Soldo, he drew a pistol and shot him in the head.
Officer Beck tried to respond, but both Jerad and Amanda opened fire on him. Beck died of multiple gunshot wounds.
Panic ensued in the restaurant, but the couple ignored it. They pulled the bodies of Soldo and Beck to the floor, then they draped yellow Revolutionary War-era "Don't Tread on Me" (Gadsden) flags on the two fallen officers. They also dropped a swastika-stamped manifesto on each body and pinned a note to Soldo. The Las Vegas Sun reports the note read: "This is the beginning of the revolution."
The two cop killers then walked across the street to a Walmart store. After entering the store, Jerad Miller raised his handgun, fired a shot, and ordered everyone to "Get out. This is a revolution. The police are on the way."
Before the police arrived, concealed carry license holder Robert Wilcox, 31, decided to take action. He drew his pistol and advanced on Jerad. Unfortunately, he did not know about Amanda. She shot him in the chest, and the Millers had claimed their third victim.
The Millers retreated to the rear of the store, confronting shoppers in the aisles. The shoppers streamed out of the store, and the Millers went to work trying to set up a fortified position in anticipation of SWAT response.
Metro SWAT entered the Walmart from the front and the rear. A gunfight ensued and both Millers were wounded.
Cut off from any exit and engaged on several sides by SWAT, Amanda Miller decided to end the rampage. She shot Jerad and killed him. She then shot herself in the head.
Both suspects were handcuffed. Jerad was dead at the scene. Amanda was still breathing and was transferred to a local hospital where she died.
The Las Vegas Sun reports Vegas Metro officers had an intel edge during the fight. When SWAT entered the Walmart, one of the officers went to the store's security station, accessed the security cameras, and relayed key information to the others.
Officer Alyn Beck had served with Las Vegas Metro since August 2001. He worked in the patrol division of the Northeast Area Command. He is survived by a wife and three children.
Officer Igor Soldo had served with Las Vegas Metro since April 2006. He also worked in the patrol division of the Northeast Area Command. He is survived by a wife and a baby.
Makeshift Memorials for the two officers have sprung up outside of the CiCi's. Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman has ordered city offices to fly their flags at half-staff until sunset Friday.
Robert Wilcox was an unemployed Las Vegas native. He had many interests, including authoring cellphone apps and video games that he hoped to sell. The Las Vegas Sun reports that he had discussed becoming a police officer but had not found an opening. Clark County Sheriff Doug Gillespie told the Associated Press, "Joseph died trying to protect others."
It will probably take months if not years to sort out the Millers' ideology and motivations.
Jerad Miller (Photo: YouTube)
They arrived in Las Vegas in January and settled in an apartment. Amanda worked at Hobby Lobby; Jerad was a costumed performer who dressed as Peter Pan and worked the Strip. The couple also liked to dress as comic book characters the Joker and his moll Harley Quinn and walk around town.
The Millers dressed as the Joker and his moll Harley Quinn. Jerad Miller worked as a costumed performer in Vegas. She worked at Hobby Lobby in the needlework department. Both quit their jobs to join the Cliven Bundy protest.
Jerad disturbed his neighbors by constantly ranting about the "oppression" of the government and the police to his neighbors who thought he was just full of hot air. Brandon Moore, a resident of the apartment complex, told the Las Vegas Sun the couple talked about doing the next "Columbine" against the police.
Residents of the complex also said the couple handed out white supremacist literature. Law enforcement now believes the residents just assumed the literature was white supremacist because of the swastikas stamped on it. Clark County Assistant Sheriff Kevin McMahill told the Las Vegas Sun investigators don't believe the Millers were aligned with white supremacist ideology. "We believe they equate government and law enforcement with fascism and those who support it are Nazis."
The Associated Press reports that the Millers were in attendance at the April standoff between Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy and federal agents over Bureau of Land Management grazing fees. Ammon Bundy told the AP the Millers were too radical and were asked to leave the ranch after a few days.
Amanda Miller (Photo: Facebook)
Neighbors of the Millers seem to have been oblivious to the danger presented by the couple. For unclear reasons, even though the Millers rented an apartment, they were living in the apartment of Helen Fielder. On Sunday morning she watched as the Millers left her residence pushing a shopping cart loaded with ammunition and backpacks. According to the Las Vegas Sun, they left behind handcuffs, three gun cases, and shotgun shells scattered on the floor. "I know I should've (called police)," she said. She told the paper she now regrets not making that call.
