Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Las Vegas Shootings; Vegas Shooting News Conference

Aired June 09, 2014 - 14:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, everyone. I'm Deborah Feyerick, in for Brooke Baldwin.

They are a pair of cop killers who may have been carrying out a revolution, an act being investigated as possible domestic terrorism. Any moment we're expecting the police in Las Vegas to hold a news conference. You can see a live picture right there. Of course, we will bring that to you the moment that happens.

This is a married Las Vegas couple who police say held extremist views. They have just been identified as Jerad and Amanda Miller. Their deadly and calculated ambush claimed the lives of three people and was possible explained in writings found among their belongings. It began Sunday at a pizza parlor around lunchtime when the pair walked in and shot two police officers at point blank range. After taking their weapons, they ran to a nearby Wal-Mart, killing a female bystander at the store entrance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Had a backpack and I saw their gun in their hand and he just told me to tell the cops that it was a revolution and he had just killed two cops inside Cici's.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK: Now, minutes later, the pair engaged in gunfire with police. Then they ended their own lives in what's being called a suicide pact. The Las Vegas Police Department is left mourning the loss of two of their own. Officers Alyn Beck and Igor Soldo were both married with young children.

Let me bring in CNN's senior Washington correspondent Joe Johns, George Michael, author of "Lone Wolf Terror."

Joe, let me begin with you. What do we know about this couple because now you have access to their FaceBook pages and what I'm told is that on June 7th Jerad Miller posted, "the dawn of a new day. May all of our coming sacrifices be worth it." What do you know?

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Deborah, we do know a little bit more about Jerad and Amanda Miller. We believe them to be in their 20s. We believe they were married in 2012. And there are a lot of postings on social media. The key question that is really being raised right now is whether these shootings are somehow politically motivated.

It's pretty clear these shooters had some type of dislike for law enforcement, especially given the fact that two police officers were targeted early on. One of the big questions is why the officers' bodies were reportedly covered with some type of cloth that apparently resembled a Revolutionary War era flag. Police are said to be investigating whether this couple has espoused anti-government views, some of which we've seen on social media. They appear to have been very active on FaceBook and these people are believed to have posted various pictures of themselves wearing different costumes, a Batman motif in there is mentioned.

Sources tell CNN they left some type of written manifesto. That the details on that are limited at best right now. And it's been widely reported that when they started shooting, witnesses said they asserted this was the beginning of some type of revolution. So it seems pretty clear that just a few days ago there were some postings suggesting that something was imminent or at least seemed eminent and that is part of what police are investigating right now.

FEYERICK: Absolutely. We're hoping to get a lot more details out of that press conference, which we expect to happen within the hour.

George, you are an expert on these sort of lone wolves. But when you're looking at extremists, people who have been online, people who have been talking about possible violent actions preparing for war or a revolution, how can law enforcement identify these as real threats or real risks?

GEORGE MICHAEL, AUTHOR, "LONE WOLF TERROR": Yes. It could be difficult to distinguish because most extremists are not terrorists. Some people will espouse extremist views but they really won't act upon those views. And because we have freedom of speech, it's enshrined in the First Amendment of the Constitution, the authorities (INAUDIBLE) in somewhat of a conundrum because they really are limited to what they can do just because somebody may espouse certain positions that people would designate as extremism. Until they really cross that line where there's really a specific advocacy of violence, it's often difficult for law enforcement authorities to take real concrete action against such people.

FEYERICK: Sure. Sure. The old saying that a terrorist has to be right only once. Law enforcement has to be right all the time.

Joe, let me ask you, details of this manifesto, is there any suggestion, first of all, that they were tied to some sort of militia group, some sort of anti-government group? Is the FBI looking at this, possibly investigating it as potentially domestic terrorism?

JOHNS: Well, it's been reported widely that they were connected to this group or that group, but we still don't have details of that sufficient I think to be able to report it. I think what we can say is there is a lot of speculation about involvement with militia groups, Deborah.

FEYERICK: You know, and the one thing, George, that I don't understand is, here you have two people. They're clearly intent on wreaking havoc, making a statement, whatever that statement may be, and then, at the end, they simply kill themselves. Why not work backwards, have them shoot themselves first and just let it be?

MICHAEL: Ah, yes. Well, some people, some of these lone wolves, oftentimes they exhibit some serious mental health problems and sometimes these are the people who are really - the best suited candidates for terrorism because they have nothing to lose. There have been rumors that the two suspects were methamphetamine addicts. So, yes, it's unfortunate. There's some people who will be motivated by these extremist ideologies and act upon them. And often times they're very desperate. But even desperate people, people with mental health problems, can still be -- can still be influenced by extremist ideologies and act upon them.

FEYERICK: And, Joe, last week I believe the Justice Department reinstituted its domestic terrorism team. Something they had started to put together about - during 9/11 and then obviously the focus became on international terrorism as opposed to domestic terrorism. But is this a signal perhaps that now the Justice Department is taking a closer look at some of these American groups who pose a risk to the United States?

JOHNS: Well, I think it goes without saying that the Justice Department has known for a long time that domestic terror groups are of real concern. And, if anything, this is just one more indication that the Justice Department is going to take this seriously. So many times in our history we've heard about the Oklahoma City bomber, others burly home grown setting off the kind of event that Americans remember, you know, for years and years and years. So the Justice Department has always looked at that and I guess this is just formalizing that notion, Deb.

DB: Right. Absolutely. And clearly just because somebody espouses a certain philosophy doesn't link them to a particular group. They may just be acting independently. And we're going to keep an eye on that as you see a live press conference. That is going to be happening. We're going to take a quick break and then come back to that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: And we are waiting for a press conference on these two alleged cop killers. Right now authorities have put up photographs of the two. They are now being identified as Amanda and Jerad Miller.

Now, there was discussion that they had been linked to Cliven Bundy, to Cliven Bundy. But according -- but he told our Dan Simon, quote, he doesn't remember the Millers, doesn't remember them being at his ranch and doesn't know anything about them being kicked off the ranch. You remember he is the anti-government rancher who's been refusing to acknowledge the existence of the federal government, has refused to pay any land taxes. It's unclear whether this duo was simply sort of linking themselves to him, what philosophy they were espousing.

We're waiting to determine what motive they had for this shooting. Two officers killed, assassinated really, point-blank range as they sat having lunch on Sunday. And you can see some of the sheriffs there are coming out for this press conference that we expect to happen any moment.

I want to turn to Lou Palumbo, who's with us now. And talk about these groups that they could potentially be a part of it. And as soon as they step up to the podium, I'm going to cut you off there, Lou. But when you talk about the different groups that they might be associated with, these anti-government groups, possible militia, how do we identify whether, in fact, they're part of something larger or they were simply operating independently.

LOU PALUMBO, NASSAU COUNTY POLICE (RET.): Well, one of the ways that we'll determine whether or not they were a part of this group, a larger group or operating independently, will be through an investigation. The thing I will tell you is that our FBI consistently monitors the activity of all of these groups and has a pattern of infiltrating them so they get first-hand information and knowledge at all times. The question here is, were these individuals lone wolves or were they, in fact, acting out part of an agenda of a larger group, which has a very different significance?

FEYERICK: You know, and it's interesting you say that - actually, hold on one second. We're going to pause for a moment.

But when you say that the FBI has infiltrated these groups, how do you know when a threat becomes real before its happening? So if the threat is made online, when does somebody go in and say, OK, we need to intercede?

PALUMBO: Well, interestingly enough, you brought this up, apparently it's been reported that the neighbors have had dialogue or exchange with these two individuals where they indicated they were going to shoot police officers. And for whatever reason, they were a little bit remiss in notifying the authorities that this was something they were considering. They didn't take them seriously, so to speak.

FEYERICK: OK. Now we are going to pause. We are going to listen to the police update here on the shooting of those two officers in Las Vegas.

SHERIFF DOUG GILLESPIE, LAS VEGAS METROPOLITAN POLICE: Good afternoon, everyone. Now for those of you who don't know me, I'm Doug Gillespie, Clark County Sheriff, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

I have some prepared comments and then I'm going to introduce two members of my executive staff that will update you on the incident itself, as well as suspect information. And then after the three of us have spoken, we will then answer any questions that you may have.

It has now been 24 hours since my two officers and a citizen were murdered. The families of the officers are dealing with the loss of their loved ones and our police department family is trying to cope with their deaths as well. I can't thank the Las Vegas community enough for the kind words and support over the last 24 hours. I also want to extend a thank you to our brothers and sisters in law enforcement for I have received personal calls, text messages and e- mails from law enforcement brothers and sisters across this great country.

To my agency, I'm proud of your focus over the past 24 hours. From the initial response to our patrol officers' call for help at Cici's Pizza, as well as your response to the Wal-Mart has been -- was extraordinary. You showed no fear, entering a building knowing shots were being fired and that two of your brothers had already been shot. You used your training and good sense and developed a plan that forced the two suspects into a situation where their only avenue was to take their own lives. You did not get caught up in the moment. You relied on good leadership and sound police tactics. I applaud you.

Once the situation was contained and the suspects no longer a threat, our investigative personnel began their work. Two dynamic and large scenes were processed and examined with great skill and efficiency.

I also want to thank other first responders to the scene. Las Vegas Fire and Rescue, Clark County Fire, AMR, Nevada Highway Patrol. To those paramedics, even though both of my officers did not make it, I know you worked hard to give them a chance. To UMC and the trauma center, God bless you. I watched you work so hard on my two men, but we all know the wounds were too severe.

To the family of Mr. Joseph Wilcox, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department would like to send our deepest heartfelt condolences. Joseph died attempting to protect others. His death is completely senseless.

I know all of you here, as well as many people far away, have many questions. I would now ask Assistant Sheriff Kevin McMahill to come to the podium. He will speak to the investigation, the identity of the suspects and what we have in regards to the event itself. Once he is finished, Assistant Sheriff Joe Lombardo (ph) will address where we go from here and about how our patrol officers will operate moving forward. As I stated before, once they have both completed their remarks, we will answer questions.

Kevin.

KEVIN MCMAHILL, SECOND ASSISTANT SHERIFF, LAS VEGAS METRO POLICE: Thank you, sheriff.

I'm just going to give you the names real quick so as you - as I begin to tell you the story, it will be very simple for you to follow along here. I think most of you already know that the two officers involved, the first one is Officer Igor Soldo. He's 31 years of age and he was hired with Metro in 2006. The second officer is Alyn Beck. He's 41 years of age. He was hired here in Metro in 2001.

The two suspects you'll see on the - the -- to my left here. The first one is Jerad Miller. He's 31 years of age. The second is his wife, Amanda Miller. She is 22 years of age.

The citizen victim in this case, Mr. Joseph Wilcox, is 31 years of age.

So a chronology of the events as we move forward. At about 11:22 hours yesterday, officers Soldo and Beck were inside of the Cici's Pizza taking their lunch break. At that time, Mr. Jerad Miller entered into the restaurant, looked around briefly and immediately exited the restaurant. He then went back out and met with his wife, Amanda, and both of them re-entered the store after leaving several of the items they had carried with them, being backpacks, outside of the store.

They walked past our officers, who were eating lunch in one of the booths. And immediately upon passing them, Jerad Miller pulled a handgun out and shot Officer Soldo one time in the back of his head. Officer Soldo immediately succumb to his injuries. There was no further movement from him in the booth.

At that time, Officer Beck immediately began to react when he was confronted with lethal gunfire from Jerad Miller. And he was shot once in the throat area.

What happened after that, very quickly, was that Amanda Miller then removes a handgun from her purse and both Jerad and Amanda Miller fire multiple shots into Officer Beck.

This entire incident at the Cici's is captured on videotape. We're still conducting forensic review of that video.

Immediately upon the shooting commencing - or finishing, the suspects pulled the officers out of the booth and on to the ground where they placed a Gadsden flag, which is a don't tread on me yellow flag, on the body of Officer Beck. They also threw a swastika on top of his body. At that point, Mr. Jerad Miller then pinned a note to Officer Soldo that basically stated that this is the beginning of the revolution. They made the same types of comments inside of the restaurant where numerous restaurant patrons heard that commentary. They then walked out of the restaurant, gathered their backpacks and proceeded in a south bound direction.

They then crossed Nullius (ph) Boulevard over to the Wal-Mart and entered into the front door of the Wal-Mart store. Immediately upon entering the store, Jerad Miller walked in through the front doors and fired off one round and told the people to get out and that this is a revolution and that the police were on the way. Amanda Miller was trailing behind Jerad Miller, but we believe she was placing the backpacks into a shopping cart.

At that time, our citizen victim, Mr. Joseph Wilcox, was located over in the area where you pay and he observed this activity and he told his friend he was going to confront the suspects. He was carrying a concealed weapon and he immediately and heroically moved towards the position of Jerad Miller. Upon completing that action, he did not realize that Amanda Miller was with Jerad Miller and passed her directly. As soon as he began to confront Jerad Miller with his firearm, Amanda Miller removed her firearm and shot him one time in the ribs area where he immediately collapsed.

Subsequent to that, the 911 calls continued to come in and the officers were responding to both locations. Information was put out at the scene very quickly that when Jerad and Amanda Miller were at the Cici's they took the firearms from our downed officers, as well as all of the ammunition on their belts when they left and took that with them.

As soon as they got into the - they continued towards the rear of the Wal-Mart store and our officers, led by two sergeants using the active shooter assailant protocols that we train on called Mack Attack (ph), decided to enter into five man elements and enter in the store. One team entered from the rear. The other team entered from the front. And almost upon entry the team in the rear began contact with the suspects. There was an exchange of gunfire between the officers and the suspects. And the suspects continued towards the rear of the store near the automotive area. There was a number of times that the officers and the suspects both conversed, as well as exchanged gunfire. And we had an officer immediately, at the direction of one of the sergeants, get into the surveillance area with one of the security officers from Wal-Mart and then began to view that tape and provide updated intelligence to our responding officers as to the locations of the suspects.

At that point, the sergeant at the scene made the determination that they had the suspects contained in the rear of the store and that they were not going to further advance on the officers and they were waiting for SWAT to arrive. At some point during the struggle, Jerad Miller had gathered items from throughout the store and both of the suspects had laid down and sat down on the grounds at various times and positioned themselves in the tactical - tactically advantageous position to engage any officers that were approaching.

He also took some of the items around there and sort of built a defensive position around Amanda. She was seated and was suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. At one point he laid on his stomach in front of Amanda. Amanda removed her -- her handgun and fired several rounds into Jerad, where he then immediately passed on the floor. At that point, Amanda took her handgun and ended her own life with one gunshot wound to the head.

SWAT officers responding went in, immediately secured both suspects with handcuffs. At that point it was made, a determination, that Amanda was still breathing and we took her out and transported her to the University Medical Center with the assistant of our fire professionals.

That's a very brief description of what we know at this point. I would like to point out to you a couple of the -- what we have found from the investigation as it's unfolded at this point. At this time we believe this is an isolated act. As you all know, we're conducting hundreds of interviews. It's a very complex investigation. We're looking at social media, we're talking to associates, we're talking to neighbors. We're trying to make a determination what it is that could have been the motive, what was the motivation behind their targeting police officers and walking in with no warning and executing our officers.

I can tell you that there is no doubt that the suspects have some apparent ideology that's along the lines of militia and white supremacists. You already have reporting in the media that -- on the FaceBook of Mr. Jerad Miller he indicated that he was at the Bundy ranch during the cattle standoff. We continue to utilize investigative resources to determine if in fact that is true. As you all know, there was a convergence of not only militia but white supremacists and sovereign citizens to the Bundy ranch. We continue to look at any connectivity that Jerad or Amanda Miller may have to that previous action.

I'll tell you that there's also a lot of media speculation in regards to those connections with that ideology and one of the things that we believe at this point with the swastika is that we don't necessarily believe that they are white supremacist or associated with the Nazi movement. We believe that they equate government and law enforcement fascism and those who support it with Nazis. In other words, they believe that law enforcement is the oppressor and they're associated with the Nazi movement.

As you well know, we are working with our federal counterparts and as the suspects have previous residents in both Washington and Indiana, we believe they've only been here since January of this year. Jerad Miller has a criminal background where he is a convicted felon for vehicle theft offenses in the state of Washington. And as you well know, he said in his FaceBook posts that that is one of the reasons that he was kicked out of the Bundy ranch because of his criminal history and background.

We do realize that the events in Gold Butte attracted a significant number of anti-government and anti-law enforcement individuals and we continue to investigate the aspects of this case that may be related to that. At this timely I'm going to have Assistant Sheriff Lombardo come up.

FEYERICK: So to recap of what he is now saying, and that is they have identified the two suspects, Jerad and Amanda Miller. Jerad, 31 years old, Amanda, 22. We are told also that, in fact, she shot him after they had entered the Wal-Mart and then took her own life. She was breathing when police arrived. They are recapping that they believe that, in fact, they may be part of some militia. They have an ideology that tends towards militia and white supremacists. They don't know the motivation yet, but they have identified that the officers were executed at point blank range. That is what we know so far.

Also interesting that after Jerad Miller assassinated, effectively executed the first officer and then opened fire on the second, he covered - they pulled the officers from the booth in which they were sitting, having pizza for lunch, and they placed a yellow Gadsden flag over one of the officers, that is a revolutionary flag, as well as a swastika. They also pinned a note to one of the officers which said, this is the beginning of the revolution. Those are statements that they also made while they were in that store.

They had backpacks with them. They had left them outside and that's when they went out and crossed the street into the Wal-Mart. Interestingly, the third victim, a man by the name of Joseph Wilcox, he was -- had a concealed weapon and he was confronting Jerad Miller. He had no idea that Amanda was with Jerad Miller. And as he drew his weapon, the police - the sheriff - the police officer told us that, in fact, that is when she opened fire on him, killing Joseph Wilcox, who was trying was trying to diffuse the situation. That is what we know so far.