Everett Miller has been arrested and charged with murdering Officer Matthew Baxter and Sgt. Sam Howard in Florida.
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The 45-year-old, who left the Marines for mental health reasons, came in contact with police around 9:30 p.m and shot at officers, killing Baxter and Howard.
Kissimmee Police Chief Jeff O’Dell said that there was a brief struggle before gunfire ensued, the New York Daily News reports.
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Miller managed to flee the scene, but officers caught up with him at around 11:30 p.m. in a bar. He reportedly reached for his waistband but was tackled before drawing his weapon. Upon searching him, officers discovered a 9-millimeter handgun and a .22 caliber revolver.
He was taken to jail in Officer Baxter’s handcuffs.
Suspect will be transported to the Osceola County Jail in Officer Baxter's handcuffs ~Chief O'Dell
— Kissimmee Police (@kissimmeepolice) August 19, 2017
“I am so proud of the sworn and civilian members of our department by acting quickly to identify the suspect and bring him to justice,” said O’Dell in a statement. “We will mourn over the next few day; we will get through this and we love them for what they do.”
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Four suspects were wanted for the shooting, but O’Dell said that he is not expecting any more arrests. O’Dell called the murders “the most heinous crime possible.”
In the days before the shooting, Miller wrote a number of anti-American posts on Facebook. The other officer who was shot is expected to recover.
Miller left the military for mental health reasons. One of his former colleagues in the Marines expressed surprise at the news, telling Heavy.com that Miller was “a true motivator, happy go lucky guy, willing to go that extra mile to help his friends.”