Sniper Forces Evacuations of Homes, Closes I-15

WILDOMAR, Calif. — A gun enthusiast known to neighbors as “Rambo” forced the closure of Interstate 15 in southern Riverside County and paralyzed a housing tract with sprays of gunfire for nine hours before he was shot to death Thursday morning, authorities said.

The suspect, identified as Michael Miller, 28, finally walked out of the home he shared with his parents and sister, carrying a rifle and a handgun, and was shot by a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department marksman, said Sgt. Mark Lohman.

Neighbors in nightclothes who had been evacuated from their houses were then allowed to return home, and Interstate 15--a potential target of Miller’s shots--was reopened.

Lohman said Miller shot “at least 100 rounds--maybe hundreds” during the incident, striking cars, mailboxes and other random targets. Investigators recovered various rifles, shotguns and handguns inside the house, Lohman said.

In the past, neighbors said, the man had struck terror in the neighborhood by walking around in camouflage fatigues, carrying weapons and frequently firing guns into an open field between his home and the freeway.

“We never knew what would trigger him,” said Renee Layton, a neighbor and mother of two.

Lohman said Miller, who was unemployed, was well known to deputies and a month ago had been placed under psychiatric observation for 72 hours for “mental problems.” Deputies confiscated his weapons at the time but later, lacking cause to keep them, returned them, Lohman said.

Miller had not been arrested for alleged shootings in the neighborhood, Lohman said, because none occurred in the presence of a police officer.

No one was injured during the overnight standoff, which began about 11 p.m. Wednesday when family members called authorities to report that Miller was acting irrationally. They fled after Miller began firing randomly from inside the house, using an assortment of rifles and handguns, Lohman said.

Deputies evacuated nearby homes after being told by Miller’s family that he had ammunition capable of piercing house walls, and shut down the freeway for motorists’ safety.

About four hours later, Miller sneaked outside, engaged SWAT officers in gunfire while hiding beneath a vehicle, and then retreated back indoors, Lohman said.

Shortly afterward, Miller talked for nearly 30 minutes with negotiators who believed he might give himself up. Instead, Miller remained holed up inside, defying even tear gas that was shot into the house.

Finally, about 8:30 a.m., Miller walked outside and was shot by a deputy hiding in the field.

Eldon Goldsmith, a relative, said Miller began experiencing mental problems about 10 years ago and started purchasing weapons.

“Something chemical turned him into something very dark, introverted, depressed,” Goldsmith said. “He was in his own world.”